
Glass, tlvl^ 
Book J 



^7^5 



33 y- 



V ':,.-Ch:-v'- H^fcV>''-J- /£ 




GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HISTOKICAL SCENES. 



BARNES'S ONE-TERM HISTORY. 



BRIEF HISTORY 



UNITED STATES. 



FOR SCHOOLS 






p 

" We have heard ivith our ears, O God, our fathers have told its, 
"what work thou didst in their days, in tlie times of old. * * * * 
For they got not the land in possession by their ovjn sword, neither 
did t/ieir own arm save tlievi ; but thy right hand, and thine ann, 
and the light of thy coutUenance, because thou luidst a favor unto 
them.'''' — Psalm xliv. i, 3,7 , , .'o O 



A. S. BARNES & COMPANY, 

NEW YORK AND CHICAGO. 

1 872. 



ST6^ 



/^ ?■ Entered according to Act oi/Congress, 

^:^2 A, s. baXnes & CO., 

^\^ tr, the Office of tine Librarian of Congress, at Washington. " ^ (^ 
a^ . ^^^ 



n the year 1871, by _ 1 (^ 







PREFACE. 



iHE experience of all teachers witnesses to the 
lamentable deficiency in historical knowl- 
'^ edge among their pupils ; not that children 
disrelish the incidents and events of history, 
for, indeed, they prefer them to the improbable tales 
which now form the bulk of their reading, but 
because the books are " dry." Those which are 
interesting are apt to be lengthy, and the mind con- 
sequently becomes confused by the multitude of 
detail ; while the brief ones often contain merely the 
dry bones of fact, uninviting and unreal. An attrac- 
tive book which can be mastered in a single term is 
the necessity of our schools. The present work is an 
attempt to meet this want in American histories. In 
its preparation there has been an endeavor to develop 
the following principles : 

I. To precede each Epoch by questions and a map, 
so that the pupil may become familiar with th^ loca- 
tion of all the places named in the history he is about 
to study. 



IV PKEFACE. 

2. To select only the most important events for the 
body of the text, and then, by foot-notes, to give 
explanations, illustrations, minor events, anecdotes, 
&c. 

3. To classify the events under general topics, 
which are given in distinct type at the beginning of 
each paragraph ; thus impressing the leading idea on 
the mind of the pupil, enabling him to see at a glance 
the prominent points of the lesson, and especially 
adapting the book to that large and constantly in- 
creasing class of teachers, who require topical recita- 
tions. 

4. To select, in the description of each battle, some 
characteristic in which it differs from all other battles 
■ — its key-note, by which it can be recollected ; thus 
not only preventing a sameness, but giving to the 
pupil a point around which he may group information 
obtained from fuller descriptions and larger histories. 

5. To give only leading dates, and, as far as pos- 
sible, to associate them with each other, and thus 
assist the memory in their permanent retention ; ex- 
perience having proved the committing of many 
dates to be the most barren and profitless of all school 
attainments. 

6. To give each campaign as a whole, rather than 
to mingle several by presenting the events in chrono- 
logical order. Whenever, by the operations of one 
army being dependent on those of another, this plan 
might fail to show the inter-relation of events, to pre- 
vent such a result by so arranging the campaigns that 
the supporting event shall precede the supported one. 



PRE FACE. V 

7. To give something of the philosophy of history, 
the causes and effects of events, and, in the case of 
great battles, the objects sought to be attained ; thus 
leading pupils to a thoughtful study of history, and to 
an appreciation of the fact that events hinge upon 
each other. 

8. To insert, in foot-notes, sketches of the more im- 
portant personages, especially the presidents, and 
thus to enable the student to form some estimate of 
their character. 

9. To use language, a clause or sentence of which 
cannot be selected or committed as an answer to a 
question, but such as, giving the idea vividly, will 
yet compel the pvipil to express it in his own words. 

10. To assign to each Epoch its fair proportion of 
space ; not expanding the earlier ones at the expense 
of the later ; but giving due prominence to the events 
nearer our own time, especially to the Civil War. 

11. To write a National history by carefully avoid- 
ing all sectional or partisan views. 

12. To give the new States the attention due to 
their importance by devoting space to each one as it 
is admitted into the Union, and becomes a feature in 
the grand national development. 

13. To lead to a more independent use of the book, 
and the adoption of the topical mode of recitation and 
study, as far as possible, by placing the questions at 
the close of the work, rather than at the bottom of 
each page. 

14. To furnish, under the title of Historical Recrea- 
tions, a set of review questions which may serve to 



yj PREFACE. 



awaken an interest in class and induce a more com- 
prehensive study of the book. 

Finally — this work is offered to American youth in 
the confident belief that as they study the wonderful 
history of their native land, they will learn to prize 
their birthright more highly, and treasure it more 
carefully. Their patriotism must be kindled when 
they come to see how slowly, yet how gloriously, 
this tree of liberty has grown, what storms have 
wrenched its boughs, what sweat of toil and blood 
has moistened its roots, what eager eyes have watched 
every out-springing bud, what brave hearts have de- 
fended it, loving it even unto death. A heritage thus 
sanctified by the heroism and devotion of the fathers 
can but elicit the choicest care and tenderest love of 
the sons. 



The folio ;ving authorities, among many others, have been used in 
the preparation of this work : Hildreth's, Bancroft's, Tucker's, Sears's, 
Goodrich's, and Spencer's Histories of the United States; Barber's and 
Palfrey's Histories of New England ; Parkman's works ; Moore's 
Diary ; Lossing's Field-Books ; Sparks's Biographies ; Irving's Lives 
of Columbus and Washington ; Lives of the Presidents ; Histories of 
the States ; Draper, Greeley, Abbott, Headley, Pollard, and Swinton 
on the Civil War ; Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, etc. 

The publishers will be very grateful for the criticisms of teachers 
upon the early editions of this work, that the public may benefit, at the 
earliest moment, by any correction or improvement of which it may be 
susceptible. 



Mt of ^^Qwi^wh. 



INTRODUCTION 9 

FIRST EPOCH. 

fiyVRjLY DI3C0VERI£:g AND gETTj^EjVlEJNITg, 19 

2EC0HD EPOCH. 

DEVEX.0PJV1EJNT Of THE COX^ONI^g, . . 45 



THIRD EPOCH. 
THE F(EVOX.UTION/.RY WAI^, . 



. 101 



FOURTH EPOCH 

DEVEjLOPMEJMT Of THE gTy\TEg, 



147 



Viii CONTENTS. 

FIFTH EPOCH. 

PAGB 

THE CIVIjL. WAI^, 515 

SIXTH EPOCH. 

RECONSTRUCTION yVJND PyVgglJMQ EVEJMTg, 281 



APPHHGtX. 

QUESTION? FOR Cl^yV^S UgE, . . . i 
HIgTORICyVJ. RECREATIONS, . . . '. xix 
DECLAF}ATIO]M OF IJMDEPENDEJMCE, . . . xxv 
COJMSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, • ^xviii 

TyVBJLES, ^^^i^ 

INDEX, xlii 







HO first settled America?— It 

was probably first peopled from Asia, 
the birth-place of man. In what way 
"/XrfV^ this happened, we do not know. Chi- 
nese vessels, coasting along the shore according to the cus- 
tom of early voyagers, may have been driven by a. storm 
across the Pacific ocean, while the crews were thanlvful to 
escape a watery grave by settling an unknown country: 
or, parties straggling across Behring Strait in search of adven- 
ture, and finding here a pleasant land, may have resolved 
to make it their home. 

American Antiquities. — In various parts of the con- 
tinent remains are found of the nations which inhabited 
the country in those early days. Through the Mississippi 
valley, from the lakes to the Gulf, extends a succession of de- 



10 



UNITED STATES HISTOEY. 



fensive earthworks.* Similar ruins are found in A^arious other 
sections of the United States. The largest forest trees are 
growing upon them, and the Indians have no tradition as to 
their origin. They consist of emhanlanents, ditches, &c., and 
indicate considerable acquaintance with military science. They 
generally crown steep hills, and are laid out with great pre- 
cision. At Newark, Ohio, a fortification exists which covers 
an area of more than two miles square, and has over two miles 
of embankment from two to twenty feet high. 

Mounds, seemingly constructed as great altars for religious 
purposes or as monuments, are also numerous. One, oppo- 
site St. Louis, covers eight acres of ground, and is ninety feet 
high. There are said to be 10,000 of these mounds in Ohio 
alone. 

A very peculiar kind of earth- 
work has the outline of gigantic 
men or animals. An embank- 
ment in Adams Co., Ohio, repre- 
sents very accurately a serpent 
1000 feet long. Its body winds 
with graceful curves, and in its 
wide extended jaws lies a figure 
which the animal seems about to 
swallow. In Mexico and Peru, still 
more wonderful remains have been 
THE SERPENT MOUND. discovcrcd. Tlicy consist not alone 

of defensive works, altars, and monuments, but of idols, 
ruined temples, aqueducts, bridges, and paved roads. 

The Mound Builders is the name given to the peo- 
ple who erected the mounds of North America. They seem 




* It is a sinp:ular fact that banks of earth grassed over, are more enduring than any 
other work of man. The grassy mounds near Nineveh and Babylon have remained 
^^nchanged for centuries. Meantime massive buildings of stone have been erected, 

rved long generations, and crumbled to utter ruin. 



INTRODUCTION. U 

to haye emigi'ated to Central America, and there to have 
developed a high civihzation. They, built cities, wove cotton, 
worked in gold, silver, and copper, labored in the fields, and 
had regular governments. 

The Indians who were found on this continent east of 
the Mississippi, by the first European settlers, did not exceed 
200,000 in number. However, m Mexico, Peru, and the In- 
dies, there was an immense population. The Indians were the 
successors of the Mound Builders, and were by far their infe- 
riors in civihzation. We know not why the ancient race left, 
nor whence the Indians came. The former may have been 
driven southward by these savage tribes from the north. 

Indian Characteristics.* — Arts and Inve^itions. — The 
Indian has been weU termed the "Red Man of the Forest." 
He built no cities, no ships, no churches, no school-houses. 
He constructed only temporary bark wigwams and canoes. 
He made neither roads nor bridges, but followed foot-paths 
through the forest, and swam the streams. His highest art 
was expended in a simple bow and arrow. 

Progress and Education. — He made no advancement, but 
each son emulated the prowess of his father in the hunt 
and the fight. The hunting-ground and the battle-field em- 
braced everything of real honor or value. So the son was 
educated to throw the tomahawk, shoot the arrow, and catch 
fish with the spear. He knew nothing of books, paper, writ- 
ing, or history, f 

Domestic Life. — The Indian had no domestic animals, no 
beast of burden. He regarded all labor as degrading, and fit 
only for women. His squaw, therefore, built his wigwam, cut 
his wood, and carried his burdens when he journeyed. While 

* This description applies to the Indians inhabiting the present limits of the 
United States. 

t Some tribes and families seem to have been further advanced than others, and 
to have instructed their children, especially those young men who hoped to become 
chiefs, in the history and customs of their nation. 



12 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



he hunted or fished, she cleared the land for his corn by burn- 
ing down the trees, scratched the ground with a crooked stick, 
or hoed it with a clam-shell, and dressed skins for his clothing. 
She cooked his food by dropping hot stones into a tight wil- 
low basket containing materials for soup. The leavings of her 
lord's feast sufficed for her, and the coldest place in the wig-^ 
wam was her seat. 




INDIAN LIFE. 



Disposition. — He rarely spoke to his wife or children. He 
would sit on the ground for weeks, leaning his elbows on his 
knees in stupid silence. He was crafty and cruel. His 
word was no protection. False and cunning, he never hesi- 
tated to violate a treaty when his passions prompted him to 
hatred. 

Endurance. — He could endure great fatigue, and in his ex- 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

peditions often lay without shelter in severest weather. It 
was his great glory to bear the most horrible tortures without 
sign of anguish. 

Religion. — His religion yaried with his ciyihzation. The 
Indians of New England had no word for God, and there is 
no evidence on record of a truly rehgious ceremony among 
them. The Iroquois (ir-o-quoy') Indians of Central New 
York possessed a rude civilization, and beheved in a Great 
Spirit, and in happy hunting grounds, where the departed 
warrior would hunt and feast forever. Southward, the Indians 
gradually increased in civihzation, as well as in knowledge of 
a future life. In Central America they had cities with tem- 
ples, altars, and an established priesthood. 

The Indian of the present. — Such was the Indian two 
hundred years ago, and such he is to-day. He opposes the 
encroachments of the settler, and the building of railroads. 
But he cannot stop the tide of immigi'ation. Unless he can 
be induced to give up his roving habits, and to cultivate the 
soil, he is doomed to destruction. It is to be earnestly hoped 
that the red man may yet be Christianized, and taught the 
arts of industry and peace. 

The Northmea (inhabitants of Norway and Sweden) 
claim to have been the original discoverers of America. Ac- 
cording to their traditions, this continent was seen first about 
the year 1000, by one Biorne, who had been driven to sea by a 
tempest. Afterward other adventurers made successful voy- 
ages, estabhshed settlements, and bartered with the natives. 
Snorre, son of one of these settlers, is said to have been the 
first child born of European parents upon our shore.* The 



* Snorre' 8 father emigrated from Iceland, Avhich was then a republic where the 
Christian relfgion had been made national. Thus, through his parentage, Snorre 
was a member of a Christian republic. 

He was also founder of an illustrious family. One of his descendants is said to 
have been Albert Thorwaidsen^ the great Danish sculptor of the present century. 



14 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



Northmen claim to have explored the coast as far south as 
Florida. What credit is to be giyen to these traditions is un- 
certain. Many historians reject them, while others think 
there are yet traces of the Northmen remaining, such as the 

old tower at Newport, E. I., and 
the singular inscriptions on the 
rock at Dighton, Mass. Admit- 
ting, however, the claims of the 
Northmen, the fact is barren of 
all results. No permanent settle- 
ments were made, the route 
hither was lost, and even the 
existence of the continent was 
forgotten. The true history of 
this country begins with its dis- 
covery by Columbus in 1492. It 




TOWER AT NEWl'ORT. 



naturally divides itself into six great epochs. 

FIRST EPOCH. 

EARLY DISCOVERIES iJND SETTLEMENTS. 

This epoch extends fi*om 1492, the discoveiy of America, 
to 1607, the settlement at Jamestown, Va. During this 
period various European nations were exploring the continent, 
and making widely scattered settlements. 



• 2EC0HD EPOCH. 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLONIES. 

This epoch extends from 1607, the settlement at James- 
town, Va., to 1775, the breaking out of the Eevolutionary 

The heautiftil photographs of Thorwaldeen's "Day," "Night," and " The Seasons," 
which hang- in po many American parlors, thus acquire a new interest by being 
linked with the pioneer boy born on New England shores so many centuries ago. 



li^TRODUCTION. 15 

War. During this period the scattered settlements grew into 
thirteen flourishing colonies, subject to Great Britain. 



THIRD EPOCH. 

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

This epoch extends from 1775, the breaking out of the 
Revolutionary War, to 1787, the adoption of the Constitution. 
During this period the colonies threw off the government of 
England, and estabhshed their independence. 

FOURTH EPOCH. 

DEVELOPMENT OF Tp STATES. 

This epoch extends from 1787, the adoption of the Consti- 
tution, to 1861, the breaking out of the Civil War. During 
this period the States increased in number from thirteen to 
thirty-four, and grew in population and wealth until the 
United States became the most prosperous nation in the world. 

FIFTH EPOCH. 

Tp CIVIL Wi^R. 

This epoch extends from 1861, the breaking out of the 
war, to 1865, the surrender of Lee's army. During this 
period a most gigantic strife was carried on between the 
Northern and Southern States, the former strugghng for the 
perpetuation of the Union, and the latter for its division. 



16 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. 

SIXTH' EPOCH. 

RECONSTRUCTION, AND PASSING EVENTS. 

This epoch extends from the closing of the civil war to the 
present time. During this period the seceding States have 
been restored to their rights in the Union, peace has been 
fully estabhshed, and many interesting events have occurred. 















MAP OF 

EjJocL of Disrovejy. 



^V<)i^fi I 




EJ^RLY DISCOVERIES po SETTLEMENTS 



EOGRAPHICAL knowledge in 
the Fifteenth Century. — The peo- 
ple of Europe had then never heard 
of America. About that time, a great 
desire for geographical knowledge 
was awakened. The compass and 
the astrolabe — an instrument for 
reckoning latitude — had been re- 
cently invented. Voyagers were no 
g^3o^ longer compelled to creep along the 

shore, but began to strike out boldly 
into the open sea. The art of printing had just come into use, 
and books of travel were eagerly read. 

Quesii'ons on i?ie Geography of the First Fpoch.—la the accompanying 
map there are no divisions of the continent, as none existed at that time. When 
they are called for in the following questions, the ohject is to test the pupil's geo- 
graphical knowledge. 

Locate the "West Indies. San Salvador (now called Gnanahani, gwah-nah-hah'-ne, 
and Cat Island). Cuba. Hayti (hS-te). Newfoundland. Cape Breton. Roanoke 
Island. Manhattan Island. 

Describe the Orinoco River. Mississippi River. St. Lawrence River. St. John's 
River. James River. Hudson River. Chickahominy. 

Where is Labrador? Central America? Florida? Mexico? New Mexico? 
California ? Oregon ? Peru ? 

Locate St. Augustine. Santa Fe (sahn-tah-fS). New York. Newport. Montreal. 
Quebec. Albany. Jamestown, Port Royal. Isthmus of Darien. Cape Henry. 
Cape Charles. Cape Cod. Massachusetts Bay. Chesapeake Bay. Hudson's Bay. 



20 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1474. 



Marco Polo and other adventurers returning from the East, 
had told wonderful stories of the wealth of Asiatic cities. 
Genoa, Florence, Venice, and other cities on the shore of the 
Mediterranean, had become enriched by trade with the East 
The costly shawls, spices, and silks of Persia and India were 
borne by caravans to the Red Sea, thence on camels across the 
desert to the Mle, and lastly by ship over the Mediterranean 
to Europe. 

The great problem of the age was how to reach the East 
Indies by sea, and thus give a cheaper route to these rich 

products. 

Columbus* conceived that 
1)y sailing west he could reach 
the East Indies. He believed 
the earth to be round, which 
was then a novel idea. He, 
however, thought it much 
smaller than it really is, and 
that Asia extended much fur- 
ther round the world to the 
east than it does. Hence, he 
argued that by going a few 
hundred leagues west he would 




* Christopher Columbus was horn in Genoa, Italy, 1435. He was trained for the 
sea from his childhood. Being the eldest of four children, and his father a poor 
wool-comber, much care devolved upon him. It is said that at thirty, his hair was 
white from trouble and anxiety. Hia kind and loving disposition is proved by the 
fact that in his poorest days he saved part of his pittance to educate his young broth- 
ers, and support his aged father. 

Columbus was determined, shrewd, and intensely religious. He believed and an- 
nounced himself to be divinely called to " carry the true faith into the uttermost 
parts of the earth." Inspired by this thought, no discouragement or contumely 
could drive him to utterly despair. It was eighteen years from the conception to the 
accomplishment of his plan. During all this time his life was a marvel of patience, 
and of brave devotion to hia one purpose. 

His sorrows were many ; his triumph was brief. Evil men maligned him to Fer- 
dinand and Isabella. Disregarding their promise that he should be governor-gen- 
eral over all the lands he might discover, the king and queen sent out another gov- 
ernor, and by his order Columbus was sent home in chains ! No wonder that the 



1482.] EPOCH I. 31 

touch the coast of Eastern Asia.* He was determined to try 
this new route, but was too poor to pay for the necessary ships> 
men, and provisions. 

Columbus at the Court of Portugal. — He accordingly 
laid his plan before King John of Portugal, who, being pleased 
with the idea, referred it to the geographers of his court. 
They pronounced it a visionary scheme. With a lurking feel- 
ing, however, that there might be truth in it, the king had 
the meanness to secretly despatch a vessel to test the matter. 
The pilot had the charts of Columbus, but lacked his heroic 
courage. After sailing westward from Cape de Verde islands 
for a few days, and seeing nothing but a wide waste of wildly 
tossing waves, he returned, ridicuhng the idea. 

Columbus at the Court of Spain. — Columbus, dis- 
heartened by this treachery, betook himself to Spain. During 
seven long years he importuned King Ferdinand for a reply. 
All this while he was regarded as a visionary fellow, and when 
he passed along the streets, even the children pointed to their 
foreheads and smiled. At last, the learned council declared 
the plan too foolish for further attention.f Turning away 
sadly, Columbus determined to go to France. 



whole nation was shocked at such an indignity to such a man. It is sad to know 
that although Ferdinand and Isabella endeavored to soothe his wounded spirit by- 
many attentions, they never restored to him his lawful rights. From fluent prom- 
ises they passed at last to total neglect, and Columbus died a grieved and disappoint- 
ed old man. At his request, his chains were buried with him, a touching memorial 
of Spanish ingratitude. 

* Several facts served to strengthen the faith of Columbus in the correctness of his 
theory. The Azores and the Cape de Verde islands were the most westerly lands 
then known. There had been washed on their shores by westerly winds, pieces of 
wood curiously carved, trees, and seeds of unknown species, and especially the 
bodies of two men of strange color and visage. 

t "It is absurd," said those wise men. "Who is so foolish as to believe that 
there are people on the other side of the world, walking with their heels upward, and 
their heads hanging down ? And then, how can a ship get there ? The torrid zone, 
through which they must pass, is a region of fire, where the very waves boil. And 
even if a ship could perchance get around there safely, how could it ever get back ? 
Can a ship sail up hill ?" All of which sounds very strange to us now, when hun- 
dreds of travelers make every year the entire circuit of the globe. 



22 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1493. 

Columbus successful. — His friends at the Spanish court, 
at this juncture, laid the matter before Queen Isabella, and she 
was finally won to his cause. The king remained indifierent, 
and pleaded the want of funds. The queen in her earnestness 
exclaimed, '• I pledge my jewels to raise the money." But her 
sacrifice was not required. St. Angel, the court treasurer, ad- 
vanced most of the money, and the friends of Columbus the 
balance, — in all about $20,000, equal to six times that amount 
at the present day. Columbus had succeeded at last. 

Columbus's Equipment. — Though armed with the king's 
authority, Columbus obtained vessels and sailors with the 
greatest difficulty. The boldest seamen shrank from such a 
desperate undertaking. At last, three small vessels were 
manned ; the Pinta, (peen'-tah), Santa Maria, (ma-re-ah), and 
Nina, (ne-nah). 

Incidents of the Voyage. — When the ships struck out 
boldly westward on the untried sea, and the sailors saw the 
last trace of land fade from their sight, many, even of the 
bravest, burst into tears. As they proceeded, their hearts 
were wrung by superstitious fears. To their dismay, the com- 
pass no longer pointed directly north, and they believed them- 
selves coming into a region where the very laws of nature 
were changed. They came into the track of the trade-wind, 
which wafted them steadily westward. This, they were sure, 
was carrying them to destruction, for how could they ever re- 
turn against it ? Signs of land, such as flocks of birds, flying 
fish, and floating plants, were often seen, and the clouds near 
the horizon assumed the look of land, but they disappeared, 
and only the broad ocean spread out before them as they 
advanced. The sailors, so often deceived, lost heart, and in- 
sisted upon returning home. Columbus, with wonderful tact 
and patience, explained all these appearances. But the more 
he argued, the louder became their murmurs. At last they 



:^^ 



1492.] EPOCH I. 23 

secretly determined to throw liim overboard. Although he 
knew their feehngs, he did not waver, but declared that he 
would proceed till the enterprise was accomphshed. 

Fortunately, on the next day a branch of thorn with berries 
on it, a board, and a staff artificially carved floated near. All 
was now eager expectation. In the evening, Columbus beheld 
a light rising and falling in the distance, as of a torch borne 
by one walking. Later at night, the joyful cry of Land! 
rang out from the Pinta. In the morning the shore, green 
with tropical verdure, lay smihng before them. 

The Landing. — Columbus, dressed in a splendid military 
suit of scarlet embroidered with gold, and followed by a reti- 
nue of his officers and men bearing banners, stepped upon the 
new world, Friday, Oct. 12, 1492. He threw himself upon 
his knees, kissed the earth, and with tears of joy gave thanks 
to God. He then formally planted the cross, and took posses- 
sion of the country in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella. 

The wondering natives, who crowded the shore, gazed on 
them with awe. They supposed the ships to be huge white- 
winged birds, and the Spaniards to have come from heaven. 
How sadly, and how soon these simple people were undeceived ! 

Further Discoveries. — Columbus found the land to be 
an island, which he named St. Salvador. He supposed that 
he had reached the islands lying off the eastern coast of India. 
He therefore called the country the West Indies, and the 
natives, Indians. He also made careful inquiries after the rich 
products of the east, such as spices, precious stones, and espe- 
cially gold. The simple people had only a few golden orna- 
ments. These they readily bartered for hawk's bells. Cuba, 
Hayti, and other islands were discovered and visited in the 
vain hope of securing oriental treasures. He even sent a dep- 
utation into the interior of Cuba to a famous chief, supposing 
him to be the gi'eat king of Tartary ! 



24 



UKITED STATES HISTOKY 



[1493. 



At last, "urged by his crew, he rehnquished the search, and 
turned his vessels homeward. 

His Reception, on his return, was flattering in the ex- 
treme. The whole nation took a holiday. His appearance 
was hailed with shouts and the ringing of bells. The king 
and queen were dazzled by their new and sudden acquisition. 
As Columbus told them of the beautiful land he had discov- 
ered, its brilliant birds, its tropical forests, its dehcious climate, 
and above all, its natives waiting to be converted to the Chris- 
tian faith, they sank upon their knees, and gave God thanks 
for such a signal triumph. 

Subsequent Voyages. — 
Columbus afterward made 
three voyages. In 1498 he 
discovered the mainland, near 
the Orinoco Eiver. He, how- 
ever, never lost the delusion 
that it was the eastern coast 
of Asia, and died ignorant of 
the grandeur of his discovery. 

Ho-w the Continent Tvas 
named. — Americus Vesputi- 
us (a-mer-i-cus ves-pu-she-us), 
a friend of Columbus, accom- 
panied a subsequent expedition 

TOMB OF COLUMBUS AT HAVANA.* "^ j. x 

* The body of Columbus was deposited in the Convent of San Francisco, Valla- 
dolid, Spain. It was thence transported, in 1513, to the Carthusian Monastery of 
Seville, where a handsome monument was erected, by command of Ferdinand and 
Isabella, with the simple inscription—" To Castile and Leon, Colon gave a new 
world." In 1536, his body, and that of his son Diego, were removed to the city of 
Saint Domingo, Hayti, and interred in the principal chapel. But they were not per- 
mitted to rest even there, for in 1796 they were brought to Havana with imposing 
ceremonies. His final resting-place in the Cathedral is marked by a slab elaborately 
carved, on which is inscribed in Spanish - 

" Oh, rest thou, image of the great Colon, 
Thousand centuries remain, guarded in the urn, 
And in the remembrance of our nation." 




U99.J EPOCH I. 25 

to the new world. A Gei*man named Waldsee Miiller pub- 
lished an interesting account of his adventures, in which he 
suggested that the continent should be called America. The 
work, being the first description of the new world, was very 
popular, and soon the name was adopted by geogi^aphers. 

John Cab'-ot, a navigator of Bristol, England, by studying 
his charts and globes, decided that since the degrees of longi- 
tude diminish as they approach the pole, the shortest route to 
India was by saiHng northwest, instead of directly west, as 
Columbus had done. He easily obtained royal authority, and 
equipped a fleet at his own expense. After a prosperous voy- 
age, he came in sight of the sterile region of Labrador,* and 
sailed along the coast for many leagues. This ^2,^ fourteen 
months before Columhus discovered the continent. He sup- 
posed it to be the territory of the " Great Cham," king of Tar- 
tary. Nevertheless, he landed, planted a banner, and took 
possession in the name of the king of England. On his return 
home he was received with much honor, was dressed in silk, 
and styled the " Great Admiral." The booty which he brought 
back consisted only of two turkeys, and th^e savages. 
^Sebastian Cabot continued his father's discoveries. In 
/the same summer during which Columbus reached the shore 
f of South America, Sebastian, then a youth of only twenty- 
one, discovered Newfoundland, and coasted as far south as 
Chesapeake Bay. ; As he did not find the way to India, 
or any gold, precious stones, or spices, his expedition was 
considered a failure. Yet, by his discoveries, England ac- 
quired a title to a vast territory in the new world. Though 

* It is paid that a map of Cabot'p has lately been discovered on which the land he 
first saw, and named Prima Vista, corresponds with Cape Breton. On it is the date 
1494. If this be authentic, it will give the priority of the discovery of the American 
continent to Cabot by four years, and decide that Cape Breton, and not Labrador or 
the Orinoco River, was first seen by European eyes. 



26 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1498. 

he gave to England a continent, no one knows his burial- 
place. 

We shall now follow the principal explorations made in 
North America, within the limits of the future United States, 
by the Spaniards, French, English, and Dutch. The 
Spaniards explored mainly the southern portion of the con- 
tinent, the French the northern, and the Enghsh the middle 
portion along the coast. 



SPANISH EXPLORATIONS. 

Feeling in Spain. — America, at this time, was to the 
Spaniard a land of vague, but magnificent promise, where the 
simple natives wore unconsciously the costliest gems, and the 
sands of the rivers sparkled with gold. Every returning ship 
brought fresh news to quicken the pulse of Spanish enthu- 
siasm. Now, Cortez had taken Mexico, and reveled in the 
wealth of the Montezumas ; now, Pizarro had conquered Peiii, 
and captured the riches of the Incas; now, Magellan had 
sailed around the southern point of South America, across the 
Pacific ocean, and returning to the Cape of Good Hope, had 
circumnavigated the globe. Men of the highest rank and 
culture, warriors, adventurers, aU flocked to the new world. 
Soon Cuba, Hispaniola, Porto Eico, and Jamaica were settled, 
and ruled by Spanish governors. Among the Spanish ex- 
plorers of the sixteenth century we notice the following : 

Ponce de Leon (pun'-tha-da-la-on') was a gallant soldier, 
but an old man, and in disgrace. He coveted the glory of 
conquest to restore his tarnished reputation, and, besides, he 
had heard of a magical fountain in this fairy land, where 
one might bathe and be young again. He accordingly equip- 



1512.] EPOCH I. 2? 

ped an expedition, and sailed in search of this fabled treasure. 
On Easter Sunday {Pascua Florida, in Spanish), 1512,* he 
came in sight of a land gay with spring flowers. In honor of 
the day, he called it Florida. He sailed along the coast, and 
landed here and there, but returned home at last^ an old man 
still, having found neither youth, gold, nor glory. 

Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Darien the next year, and 
from the summit of the Andes beheld the wide expanse of the 
Pacific Ocean. Wading into its waters with his naked sword 
in one hand, and the banner of Castile (kas-teel) in the other, 
he solemnly declared that the ocean, and all the shores which 
it might touch, belonged to the crown of Spain forever. 

De Narvaez (nar-vah-eth) received a grant of Florida, 
and (1528) with 300 men attempted its conquest. Striking 
into the interior they wandered about, allured by the prospect 
of gold. Wading through swamps, crossing deep rivers by 
swimming and by rafts, fighting -the lurking Indians who in- 
cessantly harassed their path, and perishing with hunger, 
they reached at last the Gulf of Mexico. Hastily constructing 
some crazy boats, they put to sea. After six wee|£s of peril 
and suffering, they were shipwrecked. De Narvaez was lost. 
Six years afterward, four — the only survivors of this ill-fated 
expedition — reached the Spanish settlements on the Pacific 
coast. 

Ferdinand de Soto, undismayed by these failures, under- 
took anew the conquest of Florida. He set out with 600 

* About eight years afterward, De Ayllon (Da-ile-yonO made a kidnapping expedi- 
tion to what is now known as South Carolina. He desired to obtain laborers for the 
mines and plantations in Hayti. He invited some of the natives on board his ves- 
sels, and when they were all below, he suddenly closed the hatches and set sail The 
speculation, however, did not turn out profitably. One vessel sank with all on 
board, and many, preferring starvation to slavery, died on the voyage. 

A few years subsequent, when De Ayllon went back with the intention of settling 
the country, the Indians practised upon him the lesson of cruelty lie had taught 
them. His men were lured into the interior. Their entertainers, falling upon them 
at night, slew the larger part, and De Ayllon was only too glad to escape with his 
life. 



?8 



UNITED STATES HISTORY 



[1539. 



S--^.*"'¥}'l 







DE SOTO S MARCH. 



choice men, amid the fluttering of banners, the peaHng of 
trumpets, and the gleaming of helmet and lance. For month 
after month this procession of cavaliers, priests, soldiers, and 
Indian captives strolled through the wilderness, wherever they 
suspected a prospect of gold. They traversed Georgia, Ala- 
bama, and Mississippi. In the third year of their w^anderings 
(1541) they emerged upon the banks of the Mississippi. Here 
De Soto died (1542). At dead of night his followers sank his 
body in the river, and the sullen, waters buried his hopes and 
his ambition. " He had crossed a large part of the continent," 
says Bancroft, "and found nothing so remarkable as his 
burial-place." De Soto had been the soul of the company. 
When he died, the other adventurers were only anxious to get 
home in safety. They constructed boats, and descending the 
river, little over half of this gallant array reached the settle- 
ments in Mexico. 



15Go.] EPOCH I. ^J) 

Melendez, (ma-len-deth) wiser than his predecessors, on 
landing (1565) forthwith laid the foundations of a colony. In 
honor of the day, he named it St. Augustine. This is the old- 
est toiun in the United States.^ 

Explorations on the Pacific. — California, in the six- 
teenth century, was a general name apphed to all the region 
northwest of Mexico. It is said to have originated in an old 
Spanish romance very popular in the time of Oortez, in which 
appeared a character called Oahfornia, queen of the Amazons. 
The Mexicans told the Spaniards that most of their gold and 
precious stones came from a country far to the northwest. 
Cortez, therefore, immediately turned his attention in that 
direction, and sent out several expeditions to explore the Cali- 
fornias. All these adventurers returned empty-handed from 
the very region where, three centuries afterward, the world was 
startled by the finding of an El Dorado such as would have 
satisfied the wildest; dreams of Cortez and his credulous fol- 
lowers. 

Cabrillo (1542) made the first voyage along the Pacific 
coast, going as far north as the present hmits of Oregon. 

Neio Mexico w^as explored and named by Espejo (es-pa'- 
ho) who (1582) founded Santa Fe, which is the second oldest 
town in the United States. This was seventeen years after the 
settlement of St. Aug-ustine. 

Extent of the Spanish possessions-! — Spain, at the 
close of the sixteenth century, held possession not only of the 

* " Fort Marion, built by the Spaniards in 1756, of a curious etone composed of 
tiuy shells, still exists and is full of romantic interest." 

t The conquests of the new world greatly enriched Spain. All booty was sent di- 
rectly to her coffers. Spain became the richest and most powerful country in Europe. 
All the other nations were the more anxious to find the western passage to India. 
The routes by the Cape of Good Hope and by the Straits of Magellan were long and 
dangerous. The northwestern route seemed the shortest. This was the object of 
the voyages by the Cabots. It now became the great wish of all maritime nations, 
and it has been anxiously sought down to the present time. 



30 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1700. 

West Indies, but of Yucatan, Mexico, and Florida.* The 
Spanish explorers had traversed a large portion of the present 
Southern States, and the Pacific coast. All this vast territory 
they claimed by the rights of discovery and possession. 



FRENCH EXPLORATIONS. 

The French were eager to share in the profits which Spain 
was acquiring in the new world. Within seven years after the 
discovery of the continent, the fisheries of Newfoundland were 
frequented by their mariners, f 

Ver-ra-za-ni (zah-ne), a Florentine, was the first navigator 
sent by the French king to find the new way to the Indies. 
Sailing westward from Madeira (1524), he reached land near^ 
the present harbor of Wilmington. He supposed this had 
never been seen by Europeans, although we know that Cabot 
had discovered it nearly thirty years before. He coasted 
along the shores of Carolina and New Jersey, entered the 
harbors of New York and Newport, and returned with the 
most glowing description of the new lands he had found. 
He named the country New France. This term was after- 
ward confined to Canada. 

Cartier]; (kar-te-a) ascended the River St. Lawrence 
(1535) to the Indian village of Hochelaga (ho-she-lah-ga) the 

* A writer of that time locates Quebec in Florida, and a map of Henry n. gives 
that name to all North America. 

t Cape Breton was named by the fishermen in remembrance of their home in Brit- 
tany, France. 

X Cartier had discovered and -lamed the Gulf and River St. Lawrence the previous 
year. In 1541-2, he and Lord Koberval attempted to plant a colony near Quebec. It 
was composed largely of convicts. One was hung for theft; several were put in 
irons. " Divers ones, men as well as women, were whipped." Finally, all gladly 
hurried home to France. Fifty years afterward, another deputation from the Frcncli 
prisons were settled on the bleak sandy isle of Sable. " The wretched exiles sighed 
for their dungeons. A short residence in America was considered a sufficient equiv- 
alent for a long imprisonment in France, and the few survivors were pardoned." 




(^ 



^§^&>^ EPOCH I. 

present site of Montreal. The town was pleasantly situated 
at the foot of a lofty hill which Cartier climbed. Stirred by 
the magnificent prospect, he named it Mont Real (Mong 
Kfi-al), Eegal Mountain. 

John Ribaut* (re-bo) led the first expedition (1562) under 
the auspices of Coligny.f The company landed at Port Royal, 
'.S. 0. So captivated were they, that when volunteers were called 
for to hold the country for France, so many came forward "with 
ySuch a good will and joly corage," wrote Ribaut, " as we had 

^ much to do to stay their importunitie." They erected a fort, 
which they named Carolma in honor of Charles IX., king of 
France. The fleet departed. This little party of thirty were left 

/alone on the continent. From the North Pole to Mexico, they 
were the only civilized men. Food became scarce. They were 
homesick. They tired of the eternal solitude of the wilderness. 
They built a rude ship, and put to sea. A storm shattered 
their vessel. Famine overtook them. They killed and ate one 
of their number. A vessel at last hove in sight, and took them 
on board only to carry them captives to England.^ Thus 
perished the colony, but the name still survives. 

Laudonniere, (Lo-don-yfire) two years after, built a fort, 
also called Carolina, on the River St John.§ Soon the colonists 

* Jean Kbaut, as hia name is given iu Coligny's Ms. and his own journal published 
in 1562, was alt-exc^ent seaman and a staunch Protestant. 

t Coligny (kO-len-ye) was an admiral of France, and a leader of the Huguenots 

(IlQ-gS-nots), as the Protestants w^ere then called. He had conceived a plan for 

^ founding an empii-e in America. This would furnish an asylum for his Huguenot 

friends, and at the same time advance the glory of the French. Thus religion and 

•' patriotism combined to induce him to send out colonists to the new world. 

X It is said that Queen Elizabeth of England, while conversing with these captives, 
first conceived the idea of colonizing the new world. 

§ The history of this colony records an amusing story concerning the long life of 
the natives. A party visited a chief in the midst of the wilderness who gravely as- 
" sured them that he was the father of five generations, and had lived 250 j^ears ? Op- 
posite him, in the same hut, sat his father, a mere skeleton, whose "age was so 
great that the good man had lost his sight, and could speak one onely word but with 
exceeding great paine." The credulous Frenchmen gazed with awe on this wonder- 
•^ ful pair, and congratulated themselves on having come to such a land, — a land where 
certainly there would be no need of Ponce de Leon's fabled fountain. 



33 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1564. 

were reduced to the yerge of starvation * They were on the 
point of leaving, when they were reinforced by Eibaut. The 
French seemed now fairly fixed on the coast of Florida. The 
Spaniards, however, claimed the country. Melendez, about 
this time, had made a settlement at St Augustine. He 
led an expedition northward through the wilderness, and, 
in the midst of a fearful tempest, attacked Fort CaroHna. 
Almost the entire population were massacred. 

Champlain (Sham-plane), at the beginning of the seven- 
teenth century, crossed the Atlantic in two pigmy barks — one 
of tivelve, the other oi fifteen tons — and ascended the St. Law- 
rence on an exploring tour. At Hochelaga all was changed. 
The Indian town had vanished. Not a trace remained of the 
savage population which Cartier saw there seventy years be- 
fore.f Champlain was captivated by the charms of the new 
world, and longed to plant a French empke and the Cathohc 
faith amid its savage wildness. 

De Monts (Mong) received a grant of all the territory be- 
tween the fortieth and forty-sixth parallels of latitude.]; This 
tract was termed Acadia, a name since confined to New 
Brunswick and the adjacent islands. In company with Cham- 
plain, he established a colony at Port Eoyal, Nova Scotia, in 
1605. This was the first permanent French settlement in 
America. It was three years before a cabin was built in 
Canada, and two before James Eiver was discovered. 

Champlain returned in 1608, and estabhshed a trading 

* Their sufferings were horrible. Weak and emaciated, they fed themselves with 
roots, sorrel, pounded fish-hones, and even roasted snakes. "Oftentimes," says 
Laudonniere, " our poor soldiers were constrained to give away the very shirts from 
their backs to get one fish. If at any time they shewed unto the savages the exces- 
sive price which they tooke, these villaines would answer them roughly : If thou 
make so great account of thy merchandise, eat it, and we will eat our fish : then fell 
they out a laughing, and mocked us with open throat." 

t This fact illustrates the frequent and rapid changes which took place among the 
aboriginal tribes. 

X Between the present sites of Philadelphia and Montreal. 



1608.] EPOCH I. 33 

post at Quebec. This was the first permanent French settle- 
ment in Canada. The next summer, in liis eager desire to 
explore the country, he joined a war party of the Hurons 
against the Iroquois, or Five Nations of Central New York * 
On this journey he discovered that beautiful lake which bears 
his name. Amid discouragements which would have over- 
whelmed a less determined spirit, Champlain firmly estab- 
Ushed the authority of France on the banks of the St. Law- 
rence. *' The Father of New France," as he has been termed, 
reposes in the soil he won to civilization. 

The Jesuit Missionaries. — The explorers of the Missis- 
sippi valley were mostly Jesuit priests. The French names 
which they gave still linger throughout that region. Their 
hope was to convert the Indians to the Christian faith. They 
pushed their way through the forest with unflagging energy. 
'They crept along the northern shore of Lake Ontario. They 
traversed the Great Lakes, In 1668 they founded the mission 
of St. Mary, the oldest European settlement in Michigan. Many 
of them were murdered by the savages ; some were scalped ; 
some were bm^ned in rosin-fire; some scalded with boiling 
water. Yet, as soon as one feU out of the ranks, another 
sprang forward to fill the post. We shall name but two of 
these patient, indefatigable pioneers of New France. 

Father Marquette (mar-ket), hearing from some wan- 
dering Indians of a great river which they termed the " Father 
of Waters," determined to visit it. He floated in a birch- 
bark canoe down the Wisconsin to the Mississippi (1673), and 
thence to the mouth of the Arkansas.f 

* The interference of Champlain with the Indians secured the inveterate hostility 
of the Iroquois tribes. Not long after, they seized the missionaries who came among 
them, tortured and put them to death. This cut off any farther explorations toward 
the south. The French, therefore, turned their attention toward the west. 

t Soon after, while on another expedition, he went ashore for the purpose of quiet 
devotion. After waiting long for his return, his men, seeking him, found that he bad 
died while at prayer. He was buried near the mouth of the Marquette. Years after, 



34 UNITED STATES IIISTOEY. [1682. 

La Salle was educated as a Jesuit, but had established a 
trading 2)ost at the outlet of Lake Ontario. He undertook 
yarious expeditions full of romantic adventure. Inflamed 
with a desire to find the mouth of the Mississippi, he 
made his way (1682) to the Gulf of Mexico. He named the 
country Louisiana, in honor of Louis XIV., king of France. 

Results cf French Enterprise. — Before the close of the 
seventeenth century, the French had explored the Great 
Lakes, the Fox, Maumee, Wabash, Wisconsin and Illinois 
Rivers, and the Mississippi from the Falls of St. Anthony to 
the Gulf. They had traversed a region including what is nov/ 
known as Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Iowa, Minnesota, 
Nebraska, Kansas, the Canadas and Acadia.* In 1688 it had 
a population of 11,000. 



ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS. 

We have seen how the Cabots, sailing under an English 
flag, discovered the American continent, exploring its coast 
from Labrador to Albemarle Sound. Though the English 
claimed the northern part of the continent by right of this dis- 
covery, yet during the sixteenth century they paid little atten- 
tion to it. At the close of that period, however, maritime 
entei^prise was awakened. British sailors cruised on every 
sea. Like the other navigators of the day, they were eager 
to discover the western passage to Asia. 

Frobisher made the first of these attempts to go north of 
America to Asia — Cabot's plan repeated. He pushed through 

wheu the tempest raged, and the Indian was tossing on the angry waves, he would 
<5.eek to still the storm by invoking the aid of the pious Marquette. 

* As we shall see hereafter, the English at this time clung to a narrow strip along 
the Atlantic coast. 



1576.J 



EPOCH 1 . 



35 



'^^''- d// 




unknown waters, threading 
liis perilous way among ice- 
bergs, until (1576) he enter- 
ed Baffin's Bay. Here he 
heaped a pile of stones, de- 
clared the country an ap- 
pendage of the British crown, 
and returned home.* 

Sir Francis Drake was 
a famous sailor. In one of his 
expeditions on the Isthmus of 
Panama, he climbed to the top of a lofty tree, whence he saw 
the Pacific Ocean. Looking out on its broad expanse, he re- 
solved to '' sail an English ship on those seas." Eeturning to 
England he equipped a squadron. He sailed through the 
Straits of Magellan, coasting along the Pacific shore to the 
southern boundary of Oregon. He wintered (1578-9) in San 



DRAKE BEHOLDS THE PACIFIC. 



* Que of the sailors brought back a stone which was thouirht to contain gold. A 
fleet of fifteen vessels was forthwith equipped for this new El Dorado. The north- 
west passage to Cathay was forgotten. After innumerable perils incident to Arctic 
refxious, the ships were loaded with tbe precious ore and returned. Unfortunately 
history neglects to tell us wluit became of the cargo ! 



36 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1570. 

Prancisco harbor, returning home the next season by the Cape 
of Good Hope * 

Sir Humphrey Grilbert was not a sailor, but he had 
studied the accounts of American discoveries, and concluded 
that instead of random expeditions after gold and spices, com- 
panies should be sent out to form permanent settlements. 
Eis attempts to colonize the new world, however, ended 
fatally. Sailing home in a bark of only ten tons burden, in 
the midst of a fearful storm the light of his little vessel sud- 
denly disappeared. Neither ship nor crew v,^ere ever seen 
again. 

Sir Walter Raleighf was a half-brother of Gilbert, and 
adopted his views of American colonization. Being a great 
favorite with Queen Elizabeth, he easily obtained from her a 
patent of an extensive territory, Avhich was named Virginia in 
honor of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. 

Raleigh^ s first attempt to plant a colony was on Eoan- 
oke Island. The settlers made no endeavor to cultivate 
the soil. They spent their time in hunting for gold and 
pearls.J At last they were nearly starved, when Drake, hap- 



* He was thus the first Englishman who explored the Pacific coast, and the second 
European who circumnavigated the globe. 

t Raleigh was not only a man of dauntless courage, but he also added to a hand- 
some person much learning and many accomplishments. Meeting Queen Elizabeth 
one day while she was walking, he spread his mantle over a wet place in the path 
for her to tread upon. She was so pleased with his gallantry that she admitted him 
to court, and he continued a favorite during her entire lifetime. Conversing with 
her one day upon the singular properties of tobacco, the new Indian weed which 
was coming into use, he assured her that he could tell the exact weight of smoke in 
any quantity consumed. The incredulous queen dared him to a wager. Accepting 
it, Raleigh weighed his tobacco, smoked it, and then carefully weighing the ashes, 
[Stated the difference. Paying the bet, Elizabeth remarked that she "had before 
heard of turning gold into smoke, but he was the first who had turned smoke into 
gold." This incident illustrates the friendly relations between Raleigh and the Queen. 
After her death, he was accused by James I. of treason, was imprisoned for many 
years, and at the age of 65 was executed. On the scaffold he asked for the axe, and 
feeling the edge, observed, with a smile, " This is a sharp medicine, but a sound 
cure for all diseases." Then composedly laying his head on the block, and moving 
his lips as in prayer, he gave the fatal signal. 

X They believed the Roanoke river had its head waters in golden rocks, by the 



1586.] EPOCH I. 37 

pening to stop there on one of liis exploring tours, took pity 
on them, and carried them home. 

They had Hyed long enough in America to learn the use of 
tobacco and the potato. These they introduced into Eng- 
land. The custom of " drinking tobacco," as it was called, 
soon became the fashion.* 

RaleigNs Second Attempt. — Ealeigh, undiscouraged by this 
failure, still clung to his colonizing scheme. The next time 
he sent out families, instead of single men. John White 
was appointed governor of the city of Raleigh, which they 
were to found on Chesapeake Bay. A granddaughter of 
Governor Wliite, born soon after they reached Eoanoke Island, 
was the first English child bom in America. The governor, 
on returning to England to secure supplies, found the public 
attention absorbed by the threatened attack of the Spanish 
Armada. It was three years before he was able to come back. 
His family, and the colony he had left alone in the wilderness, 
had perished. How, we do not know. The imagination can 
only picture what history has failed to record. 

Raleigh had now spent about 1200,000, a great sum for 
that day, on this American colony ; and, disheartened, trans- 
ferred his patent to other parties. 

Trading Voyages. — Fortunately for American interests, 
trading ventures were more profitable than colonizing ones. 
English vessels frequented the Banks of Newfoundland, and 
probably occasionally visited Virginia. Gosnold,f a master of 

Pacific Ocean. The walls of a great city near its fountain were affirmed to be thickly 
studded with pearls. 

* An amusing story is told of Raleigh while he was learning to smoke. On enter- 
ing his study one morning to bring his master a cup of ale, his servant saw a cloud 
of smoke issuing from Sir Walter's mouth. Frantically dashing the liquor in his 
face, he rushed down stairs imploring help, for his master would soon be burnt to 
ashes 1 

t The English ships were at that time accustomed to steer southward along the 
coast of Spain, Portugal, and Africa, as far as the Canary Islands, then they followed 
the track of Columbus to the West India islands, and thence along the coast of Florida 



38 UNITED STATES HISTORY [1802. 

a small bark, (1G02), discovered and named Cape Cod, Mar- 
tha's Vineyard, and other neighboring localities. Loading his 
vessel with sassafras-root, which was then highly esteemed as 
a medicine, he returned home to publish the most favorable 
reports of the region he had visited. Some British merchants 
accordingly sent out the next year a couple of vessels under 
Captain Pring. He discovered several harbors in Maine, and 
brought back his ships loaded with furs and sassafras. 

As the result of these various explorations, many felt an 
earnest desire to colonize the new world. James I. accordingly 
granted the vast territory of Virginia, as it was called, to two 
companies, the London and the Plymouth. 

The London Company, whose principal men resided afc 
London, had the tract between the thirty-fourth and thirty- 
eighth degrees of latitude. This was called South Virginia. 
They sent out a colony in 1G07 under Captain Newport. 
He made at Jamestown* the first permanent English settle- 
ment in tJie Uiiited States. 

The Plymouth Company, whose principal menf resided 
in Plymouth, had the tract between the forty-first and 
forty-fifth degrees of latitude. This was called North Virginia. 

The Charter granted to these companies was the first 
under which English colonies were planted in the United 
States. It is therefore worthy of careful study. It contained 
no idea of self-governme;it The people were not to have the 

northward to the point they wished to reach. Navigators knew this was a round- 
about way, but they were all afraid to try the northern route straight across the 
Atlantic. Gosuold made the voyage direct from England to Massachusetts, thus 
shortening the route 3,000 miles. This gave a great impulse to colonization, since it 
was in efl'ect bringing America 3,000 miles nearer England. 

* The river was called James, and the town Jamestown, in honor of the king of 
England. The headlands received the names of Cape Henry and Cape Charles from 
the king's sons ; and the deep water for anchorage " which put the emigrants in 
good comfort,'' gave the name Point Comfort. 

t They sent out a colony under Captain Popham (Pop-am), in (he same year with 
the London Company. lie settled at the mouth of the Kennebec, but tlie entire party 
returned home the next spring, discouraged by the severity of the cliuiute. 



1606.] EPOCH I. 39 

election of an officer. The king was to appoint a council 
wliicli was to reside in London, and have general control of all 
the colonies ; and also a council to reside in each colony, and 
have control of its local affairs. The Church of England was 
the established religion. Moreover, for five years, all the in- 
dustry and commerce of the colonists Avere to be applied to a 
common fund, and no one was to have any fruit of his indi- 
vidual labor. 



DUTCH EXPLORATIONS. 

During all this time, the Dutch manifested no interest in 
the new world. In the beginning of the seventeenth century, 
however. Captain Henry Hudson, an English navigator in the 
Dutch service, entered the harbor of New York. This was 
the first European visit since that of Verrazani. Hudson, 
hoping to reach the Pacific ocean, afterward ascended the 
Qoble river which bears his' name (1609). 

On this discovery, the Dutch based their claim to the region 
extending from the Delaware Kiver to Cape Cod. They gave 
to it the name of New Netherland. 



EXTENT OF THESE EXPLORATIONS. 

1. The Spaniards confined their settlements and explora- 
tions to the West Indies and the adjacent mainland, and 
in the United States made settlements only in Florida and 
New Mexico. 

2. The French claimed the whole of New France, and made 
their first settlements in Acadia and Canada. 

3. The English explored the Atlantic coast at various 



40 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1607. 

points, and claimed this vast territory, wliicli they termed Vir- 
ginia, having made their first settlement at Jamestown.* 

4. The Dutch laid claim to New Netherland, but made 
no settlement till 1613. 

The Rival Claims. — These four claims ovcrlappedf each 
other, and necessarily produced much confusion. When the 
first few settlements were separated by hundreds of miles of 
savage forests, this was of little account. But as the settle- 
ments increased, it became a source of constant strife, and was 
decided principally by the sword. 

T"wo Centuries of Exploration and One of Settle- 
ment. — These explorations had lasted during the fifteenth 
and sixteenth centuries, and at the close of the sixteenth, the 
only permanent settlements were those of the Spaniards at St. 
Augustine and Santa Fe. At the beginning of the seven- 
teenth century, permanent settlements multiplied. They were 
made by • 

The Frekch at Port Royal, K S., in 1605; 

The English at Jamestown, ' in 1607; 

The Fre:n^ch at Quebec, in 1608; 

The Dutch at Miu Yorh, in 1613;% 

The English Puritans at Plymouth, in 1620. 

* 4fter this time, the English is the only nation that directly influences the history 
of the United States. The country was mainly fettled by emigrants from Great 
Britain, and all the colonies in the next epoch became dependencies of that empire. 

t It is noticeable that the English grants all extended westward to the Pacific 
ocean, the French southward from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf, and the Spanish 
northward to the Arctic Ocean. None of the European nations had any idea of the 
immense territory they were donating. 

% Here lay the shaggy continent from Florida to the Pole, outstretched in savage 
slumber. On the banks of James river was a nest of woebegone Englishmen, a 
handful of fur-traders at the mouth of the Hudson, and a few shivering Frenchmen 
among the snowdrifts of Acadia ; while amid still wilder desolation Champlain upheld 
tlie banner of France over the icy rock of Quebec. These were the advance guard of 
civilization, the messengers of promise to a desert continent. Yet, not content with 
inevitable woes, they were rent by petty jealousies and miserable quarrels, while 
each little fragment of rival nationalities, just able to keep yp its own wretched 
existence on a few square miles, begrudged to all the rest the smallest share in a 
domain which all the nations of Europe could not have sufficed to Mi.—Parkman. 

\ 



EPOCH I. 41 



Sifmmary of t?ie History of the F'irst :EJpochj arrmiged 
in Chronological Order, 

PAGE 

1492. Columbus discovered the New World, October 12, . 23 

1497. The Cabots discovered Labrador^ July 3, ... 25 

1498. The Cabots explored the Atlantic Coast, ... 25 
South America was discovered by Columbus, August 10, 24 
Vasco de Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope 

and discovered a passage to India, .... 

1512. Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, April 6, . . .27 

1513. Balboa saw the Pacific Ocean, September 29, . . 27 
1519-21, Cortez conquered Mexico, . . ... 26 

1520. Magellan sailed round South America, discovered the 

southwest passage and circumnavigated tlie globe, . 26 
1524. Verrazaui explored the coast of North America, . 30 

1528. Narvaez explored part of Florida, 27 

1534-35. Cartier discovered Gulf of St. Lawrence and ascended 

the river to Montreal, 00 

1539-41. De Soto rambled over the southern States and in 1541 

discovered Mississippi River 27 

1540-42. Cabrillo explored California and sailed along the Pa- 
cific Coast, 29 

1541-42. Roberval attempted to jjlaiit a colony on the St. Law- 
rence, but failed, 30 

1562. Ribaut attempted to plant a Huguenot colony at Port 

Royal, but failed, 31 

1564. Laudonniere attempted to plant another Huguenot col- 

ony on St. John's River. It was destroyed by the 
Spaniards, . 31 

1565. Melendez founded a colony at St. Augustine, Florida ; 

first permanent settlement in the United States, . 29 
1576-7. Frobisher tried to find a northwest passage ; entered 
Baflin's Bay, and twice attempted to found a colony 
in Labrador, but failed, ... . . 34 

1578-80. Drake sailed along Pacific Coast to Oregon ; wintered 

in San Francisco, and circumnavigated the globe, . 35 

1582. Espejo founded Santa Fe ; second oldest town in the 

United States, 29 

1583. Gilbert attempted to reach the continent, but was lost 

at sea, 36 

1583-7. Raleigh twice attempted to plant a colony in Virginia, 

but failed, 36 

1602. Gosnold discovered Cape Cod, May 14, . . .38 



12 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1605. 



1G05. De Monts establislied a colony at Port Royal, Nova 

Scotia ; first permanent French settlement in America, 32 

1607. The English settled Jamestown ; first permanent Eng- 

lish settlement in America, May 23, . . , . 38 

1608. Champlain planted a colony at Quebec ; first permanent 

French settlement in Canada, 32 

1609. Hudson discovered Hudson River, . . . . , 39 
Champlain discovered Lake Champlain, ... 33 

1613. Settlement of New York by the Dutch, . . , .39 
1620. Puritans settled at Plymouth ; first English settlement 

in New England, December 21, 40 



DEVELOPpNT OF TljE ENGLISl^ COLONIES, 



From 1607— the Founding of Jamestown, 

To 1775— the Breaking out of the Revolution. 




HIS Epoch traces the early history of 
the thirteen colonies — Virginia, Massa- 
chusetts, Delaware, Maryland, New 
Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, 
South Carolina, North Carolina, New 
York, Ehode Island, New Hampshire, 
and Georgia. The Cavaliers land in 
Virginia, and the Puritans in Massa- 
chusetts. Immigration increases and 
the settlements multiply along the 
whole coast. The colonies, however, still have little history in 
common. Each by itself struggles with the wilderness, con- 
tends with the Indian, and develops the principles of liberty. 



Questio>is on the Geof/raphy of the Second ^poch.—LoQ,dt,tQ Jameetown. 
Salem. Charlestown. Boston. Cambridge. Swanzey. Providence. Bristol. 
Hadley. Hatfield. Portsmouth. Dover. Hartford. Wethersfield. New Haven. 
Windsor. Saybrook. New York. Albany. Schenectady. Elizabethtown. 
Wilmington. Philadelphia. St. Mary's. Edenton. Charleston. Savannah. 
Haverhill. Deerfield. St. Augustine. Quebec. Louisburg. 

Locate Fort Venango. Oswego. Presque Isle. Fort Le Boeuf. CroA\Ti Point. 
Fort Ticonderoga. Fort Niagara. Fort duQuesne, Fort William Henry. Fort 
Edward. 

Describe the Ohio River. Monongahela River. French Creek. Chowan River. 
Ashley River. Cooper River. River St. John. Chickahominy River. Potomac 
River. James River. Hudson River. Connecticut River. Mohawk River. Dela- 
ware River. Kennebec River. Penobscot River. Mystic River. Miami River. St. 
Lawrence River. Blackstone River. 

Locate Manhattan Island. Alleghany Mountains. Cape Breton. Massachusetts 
Bay. Albemarle Sound. Chesapeake Bay. 



46 UlflTED STATES HISTOEY. [1607. 



VIRGINIA. 

The Character of tlie colomsts was poorly adapted to en- 
dure the hardships incident to a settlement in a new coun- 
try. They were mostly gentlemen by birth, unused to labor. 
They had no families, and came out in search of wealth or 
adventure, expecting, when rich, to return to England. 
The climate was unhealthy, and before the first autumn 
half of their number had perished. 

John Smith* alone saved the colony from ruin. First as 
member of the council, and afterward as president, his services 
were invaluable. He persuaded the settlers to erect a fort and 
build log huts for the winter. He made long voyages, care- 
fully exploring Chesapeake Bay, securing the friendship of the 
Indians, and bringing back boat-loads of supphes. He trained 



* Captain John Smith was bom to adventure. While yet a boy he left his home in 
Lincolnshire, England, to engage in Holland wars. After four years' service he built 
him a lodge of boughs in a forest, where for awhile he hunted, rode, and studied 
military tactics. Next we hear of him on his way to fight the Turks. Before reach- 
ing France he is robbed, and only escapes death from want by begging alms. Em- 
barking for Italy, a fearful storm arises, and he, being a heretic, is deemed the cause, 
and is thrown overboard, But he is not to die yet. He swims to land. Arrived at 
his destination, three Turks, to " please the ladies," having dared to combat as 
many Christians, Smith undertakes the job and kills them all. Taken prisoner in 
battle, he is sold as a slave. He is stripped, head and beard shaved, and an iron ring 
put on his neck. Killing his master at an opportune moment, he hides the body, 
arrays himself in its clothing, and mounting a horse, spurs his way to a Russian 
camp. Arrived in England, he embarks for the new world. The leaders being jeal- 
ous of him, he lands with the colony as a prisoner, but soon becomes its president. 
His spirited fortunes do not desert him. Now a certain fish inflicts a dangerous 
wound. His grave is dug, but he is not ready. He finds an antidote and lives to eat 
part of the same fish with great relish. Now he is poisoned, but overcomes the dose 
and severely beats the poisoner. Then his party of fifteen is attacked by Ope- 
chancanough (Op-e-kan-ka-no) , brother and successor of Powhatan, with seven 
hundred warriors. Smith drags the old chief by his long hair into the midst of the 
Indian braves, who, amazed at such audacity, immediately surrender He is shock 
ingly burned on a boat by the explosion of a bag of powder at his side ; leaping into 
the water he barely escapes death by drowning. These and many other wonderful 
exploits he published in a book after returning to England. Many of them are 
doubtless imaginary. Even that relating to Pocahontas has been discredited. How- 
ever, the value of his service to the Virginian colony is unquestioned. Of his last 
years we know little. He died in London, 1631. 



1607.J 



EPOCH II. 



47 



the tender gentlemen till they learned how to swing the axe 
in the forest. He declared that "he who would not work, 
might not eat." He taught them that industry and self-reli- 
ance are the surest guarantees to fortune. 

Smith's Adventures were of the most romantic character. 
In one of his expeditions up the Chickahominy* he was taken 




SMITH SHOWING HIS COMPASS TO THE INDIANS. 

prisoner by the Indians. With singular coolness he imme- 
diately attempted to interest his captors by explaining the use 
of his pocket compass and the motions of the moon and stars. 
At last they permitted him to write a letter to Jamestown. 
Wlien they found that this informed his friends of his misfor- 



* This was undertaken by the express order of the company, to seek a passage to 
the Pacific Ocean, and thus to India. Captain Newport, before his return to England, 
made a trip up the James River for the same purpose, but on reaching the falls con- 
cluded that the way to India did not lie in that direction. These attempts, which 
eeem so preposterous to us now, show what Inadequate ideas then prevailed con- 
cerning the size of this continent. 



48 U KITED STATES IIISTOliY. [1607. 

tune, they were filled with astonishment* They could not 
understand by what magical art he could make a few marks 
on paper express his thoughts. They considered him a being 
of a superior order, and treated him with the utmost respect. 
He was carried from one tribe to another,f and at last brought 
to the great chief, Powhatan, by whom he was condemned to 
die. His head was laid on a stone, and the huge war club of 
the Indian executioner was raised to strike the fatal blow. 
Suddenly Pocahontas, the young daughter of the chi<^^, who 
had already become attached to the prisoner, threw herself 
upon his neck and pleaded for his pardon. The favorite of 
the tribe was given her desire. Smith was released, and soon 
sent home with promises of friendship. His little protector 
was often thereafter to be seen going to Jamestown with bas- 
kets of com for the white l^en 

A Second Charter was "vOW obtained by the company 
(1609). This vested the authority in a governor instead of a 
local council. The colonists were not consulted with regard 
to the change, nor did the charter guarantee to them any 
rights. 

The " Starving Time." — ^Unfortunately, Smith was dis- 
abled by a severe wound and compelled to return to England. 
His influence being removed, the settlers became a prey to 
disease and famine. Some were killed by the Indians. Some, 
in their despair, seized a boat and became pirates. The winter 
of 1609-10 was long known as the Starving Time. In six 
months they were reduced from 490 to 60. At last they de- 
termined to flee from the wretched place. " None dropped a 
tear, for none had enjoyed one day of happiness." The next 



* As another evidence of the simplicity of the Indians, it is said that having seized 
a quantity of gunpowder belonging to the colonists they planted it for seed, expect- 
ing to reap a full harvest of ammunition for the next contest. 

t His route was over the peninsula, since rendered so famous by McClellan's 
campaign. 



1610.] EPOCH II. 49 

morning, as they slowly moved doTVTi with the tide, to their 
great joy they met their new governor. Lord Delaware, with 
abundant supplies and a company of emigrants. All returned 
to the homes they had just deserted, and Jamestown colony 
was once more rescued from ruin. 

The Third Charter. — ^Up to this time the colony had 
proved a failure and was pubhcly ridiculed in London. To 
quiet the outcry the charter was changed (1612). The coun- 
cil in London was abolished, and the stockliolders were given 
power to regulate the affairs of the company themselves. 

The Marriage of Pocahontas. — The httle Indian girl 
had now (1613) grown to womanhood. John Eolfe, a young 
English planter, had won her love and wished to marry her. 
In the little church at Jamestown, rough almost as an Indian's 
wigwam, she received Christian baptism, and, in broken Eng- 
lish, stammered the marriage vo^ . according to the service of 
the Church of England. 

Three years after, with her husband, she visited London. 
The childlike simplicity and winning grace of Lady Rebecca, 
as she was called, atti-acted universal admiration. She was 
introduced at court and received every mark of attention. As 
she was about to return to her native land with her husband 
and infant son,* she suddenly died. 

. First Colonial Assembly. — Governor Yeardley (yard'-le) 
believed that the colonists should have " a hande in the gov- 
erning of themselves." He accordingly called at Jamestown, 
June 28, 1619, the first legislative tody that ever assembled in 
America. It consisted of the governor, council, and deputies, 
or " burgesses," as they were called, chosen from the various 
plantations, or " boroughs." Its laws had to be ratified by the 



* This eon became a man of wealth and distinction. Many of the leading families 
of Virginia have been proud to say that the blood of Pocahontas coiirsed through 
their veins. 



50 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1619. 

company in England, but, in turn, the orders from London 
were not binding unless ratified by the colonial assembly. 
These privileges were afterward (1621) embodied in a ivritten 
constitution — the first of the kind in America. A measure 
of freedom was thus gi-anted the young colony, and James- 
town became a nursery of liberty. 

Prosperity of the Colony. — The old famine troubles 
had now all passed. The attempt to work in common had 
been given up, and ea?h man tilled his own land and had the 
avails. Tobacco was an article of export. The cclonists 
raised it so eagerly that at one time even the streets of James- 
town were planted with i t. Gold hunting had ceased,* and m any 
of the former servants of the company owned plantations. Set- 
tlements lined both banks of the James for 140 miles. Best 
of all, young women of good character were brought over by 
the company. These sold readily as wives to the settlers. 
The price was fixed at tlie cost of the passage — 100 pounds of 
tobacco — ^but they were in such demand that it soon went up 
to 150 pounds. Domestic ties were formed. The colonists, 
having homes, now became Virginians. All freemen had the 
right to vote. Eeligious toleration was enjoyed. Virginia 
became almost an independent republic. 

Slavery Introduced. — In 1620t the captain of a Dutch 
trading vessel sold to the colonists twenty negroes.J; They 
were employed in cultivating tobacco. As their labor was 
found profitable, larger numbers were afterward imported. 

Indian Troubles. — After the death of Powhatan, the firai 



* In the early life of this colony, particles of mica glittering in the brook were 
mistaken for gold dust. " There was no talk, no hope, but dig gold, wash gold, 
refine gold, load gold." Newport carried to England a shipload of the worthless 
stuff. Smith remonstrated in vain against this folly. 

t Some authorities state that this occurred in 1619, or the year before the Pilgrims 
landed in Massachusetts. (See p. 53.) 

X Prom this circumstance, small as it seemed at the time, the most momentous 
consequences ensued,— consequences that, long after, rent the republic with strife, 
and moistened it with blood. 



1622.] EPOCH II. 51 

friend of the English, the Indians formed a plan for the exter- 
mination of the colonjo So secretly was this managed that on 
the very morning of the massacre (March 22, 1622) they 
visited the houses and sat at the tables of those whose murder 
they were plotting. At a preconcerted moment they attacked 
the colonists at all their widely scattered plantations. Over 
three hundred men, women and children fell at one stroke. 
Fortunately, a converted Indian had informed a friend whom 
he wished to save, and thus Jamestown and the settlements 
near by were prepared. A merciless war ensued, during which 
the colony was reduced from 4,000 to 2,500, but the Indians 
were so severely punished that they remained quiet for twenty 
years. Then came a fearful massacre of five hundred set- 
tlers (1644), which ended in the natives being expelled from 
the region. 

Virginia a Royal Province. — The majority of the stock- 
holders gladly granted to the infant colony those rights for which 
they were struggling at home. King James, becoming jealous 
of the company because of its patriotic sentiments, took away 
the charter (1624) and made Virginia a royal province. Hence- 
forth the king appointed the governor and council, though 
the colony stiU retained its assembly. 

A Period of Oppression. — The British Parliament en- 
forced the Navigation Act (1660), which ordered that the com- 
merce of the colony should be carried on in English vessels, and 
that their tobacco should be shipped to England. Besides this, 
their own assembly was composed mainly of royalists, who 
levied exorbitant taxes, refused to go out of office when their 
term had expired, fixed their own salary at 250 pounds of 
tobacco per day, restricted the right of voting to " freeholders 
and housekeepers," and imposed on Quakers a monthly fine 
of one hundred dollars for absence from worship in the 



52 UNITED STATES HISTOKY. [1600. 

English Cliurch. Two parties* gi'adually sprung up in their 
midst ; one, the aristocratic pai*ty, was composed of the 
rich planters and the officeholders in the colony; the other 
comprised the liberty-loving portion of the people who felt 
themselves deprived of their political rights. 

Bacon's Rebellion. — These difficulties came to a crisis in 
1676, when Governor Berkeley failed to sufficiently provide for 
the defence of the settlements against the Indians. At this 
juncture, Nathaniel Bacon, a pati'iotic young lawyer, rallied a 
company, defeated the Indians, and then turned io meet the 
governor, who had denounced him as a traitor. During the 
contest which followed, Berkeley was driven out of Jamestown 
and the village itself bumed.f In the midst of this success. 
Bacon died.| No leader could he found worthy to take his 
place, and the people dispersed. Berkeley revenged himself 
with terrible severity. " The old fool," said Charles II., on 



* It is a curious fact, illustrating the sentiments of the authorities in Virginia and 
Massachusetts at that day, that the royalists who fled from England in Cromwell's 
time took refuge in Virginia, and were there most hospitably entertained, while the 
'' regicides," as they were called, i. e., the judges who had condemned Charles I., fled 
to Massachusetts and were there concealed from their pursuers. 

t Going up the James river, just before reaching City Point, one sees on the right- 
hand bank the ruins of an old church. The crumbling tower, with its arched door- 
ways, is almost hidden by the profusion of shrubbery which surrounds it. Its moss- 
covered walls, entwined with ivy planted by hands which, generations since, have 
crumbled into dust, look desolately out upon the old churchyard at its back. Here, 
pushing aside the, rank vines and tangled bushes which conceal them, one finds a few 
weather-beaten tombstones. A huge buttonwood tree, taking root below, has burst 
apart one of these old slabs, and now, with its many fellows, spreads its lofty 
branches high over the solitary dead.— And this is all that remains of that Jamestown 
whose struggles we have here recorded. 

X This happened a century before the Declaration of Independence. It ended a 
rebellion which seemed to promise the advancement of civil liberty. The governor 
who succeeded ruled with arbitrary authority and greedy rapacity. Yet these agita- 
tions served to sunder the ties which bound the colony to the mother country, and to 
implant the love of liberty, " On the spot where Drummond, one of Bacon's follow- 
ers, was martyred, Comwallis surrendered to Washington." In spite of all evil in- 
fluences, the colony increased rapidly in population and wealth. In 1G88 it num- 
bered 60,000, and exported 25,000 hogsheads of tobacco, on which the English gov- 
ernment levied a duty of nearly $700,000. The pioneer settlers had given place to 
a hardier and better class of men— men who loved freedom and sought to establish 
It on a firm basis. 



i620.] EPOCHII. 53 

hearing of the facts, "has taken more hves in that naked 
countiy than I did for the murder of my father." 



MASSACHUSETTS. 

■ The Plymouth Company attempted several times to 
explore and settle North Virg-inia, hut Captain John Smith, 
already so famous in Southern Virginia, made the only success- 
ful voyage. He examined the coast from Penohscot to Cape 
Cod, drew a map of it, and called the country New England. 
The company, stirred to more vigorous action by Smith's 
glowing accounts, obtained a new patent (1620) under the 
name of the Council of New England. This authorized 
them to make settlements and laws, and to caiTy on a trade 
over a vast region of territory reaching from the Atlantic to 
the Pacific, and comprising over a milhon square miles. New 
England, however, was destined to be settled with no consent 
of king or council. 

PLYMOUTH COLONY. 

Settlement — Landing of the Pilgrims.^ — One stormy 
day in December, 1620, the Mayflower, with a band of a hun- 

* They were called Pilgrims because of their wanderings. They belonged to a body 
of Christians in England who had suffered severe persecutions for their religious 
opinions. 

About seventy years before this time the state religion of England had been 
changed from Catholic to Protestant ; but a large number of the clergy and people 
were dissatisfied with what they thought to be a half-way policy on the part of the 
new church, and called for a more complete purification from old observances and 
doctrines. For this, they were called Puritans. 

Instead of complying with their wishes, the government passed laws making it a 
crime for any clergyman to conduct worship in any other than the prescribed man- 
ner. Those who would not conform to these requirements were deprived of their 
salaries and shut out from the churches. Being thus forced to worship elsewhere, 
the non-conformists met in houses, bams, and other retreats. This brought upon 
them increased persecution. Many were imprisoned and some executed. Finally 



54 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1620. 

dred pilgrims, came to anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The 
little company, gathering in the cabin, drew up a compact, in 
which they agi^eed to enact just and equal laws, which all 
should obey. One of their exploring parties landed at Ply- 
mouth,* as it was called on Smith's chart, December 21.f 
Finding the location suitable for a settlemelit, they all came 
ashore, and amid a storm of snow and sleet commenced build- 
ing their rude huts. 

The Character of the Puritan settlers was well suited to 
the rugged, stormy land which they sought to subdue. 
They had come into the wilderness with their famihes in 
search of a home where they could educate their children 
and worship God as they pleased. They were earnest, sober- 
minded men, actuated in all things by deep religious prin- 
ciple, and never disloyal to their convictions of duty. 

Their Sufferings during the winter were severe. At one 
time there were only seven well persons to take care of the 
sick. More than half their number died. When spring came 
there were many graves, yet not one of the company thought 
of returning to England. 

they began to form separate churches, each choosing its own pastor. From this, 
they were called Separatists and Independents. 

One of these litUe churches was established in the village of Scrooby, in 
the east of England. Not being allowed to worship in peace, in 1C08 they fled 
to Holland, where they lived twelve years. But evil influences still surrounded 
their children, and they longed for a land where they might worship God in their 
own way and save their families from worldly follies. America offered such a home. 
They came, resolved to brave and endure every danger and hardship, trusting to God 
to shape their destinies. 

* The little shallop sent from the Mayflower to reconnoitre before landing, after 
losing rudder, mast, and sail, brings to in a furious storm of rain and sleet on Satur- 
day night. Morning dawns. Time is precious. Their companions wait in suspense. 
The Sabbath, however, must be observed. Cold and wet and weak, with their clothes 
>ozen stiff" with the spray of the sea, they carefully dismiss all earthly thoughts, and 
spend the time in sacred devotion. We need not wonder that the influence of such a 
people has been felt throughout the land. The day, December 21, and the rock, 
''Forefathers' Rock," on which they first stepped, have been held by posterity in 
grateful remembrance. 

tThis was December 11, Old Style. In 1752 the British Parliament retrenched 
eleven days in September, making the 3d of that month pass for the 14th. This was 
done in order to correct an error growing out of the imperfect calendar which was 
then used. Historians, when mentioning dates of events prior to that time, give 
them sometimes Old Style and sometimes New Sfyle. 



1621J 



EPOCH II. 



55 



^- ^ L ^ ^f^^^^^^^^ w^i'Mf ?k^^ I ^^" 



^ ?ii 




WELCOME, ENGLISHMEN. — PLYMOUTH, 1621. 



The Indians, fortunately, did not disturb them. A pesti- 
lence had destroyed the tribe inhabiting the place where they 
landed. They were startled, however, one day in early spring 
by a voice in their village crying in broken English, " Wel- 
come, Englishmen." It was the salutation of Sam'-o-set, an 
Indian whose chief, Mas-sa-soit, soon after visited them. The 
treaty then made lasted for fifty years. Ca-non'-i-cus, a Nar- 
raganset chief, once sent a bundle of arrows, wrapped in a rat- 
tlesnake skin, as a token of defiance. Governor Bradford re- 
turned the skin filled with powder and shot. This signifi- 
cant hint was efiectual. 

The Progress of the Colony was slow indeed. The 
harvest proved a failure. At one time the colonists had only 
a pint of com, which being divided, gave them five kernels 



66 UKITED STATES HISTOKY. [1623 

apiece. Oftentimes clams were theii- only food.* After four 
years they numbered only 184. The plan of working in com- 
mon having failed here as at Jamestown, land was assigned to 
each settler. Abundance ensued. The colony was never 
organized by royal charter ; therefore they elected their own 
governor, and made their own laws. It was ten years after 
their coming before they obtained from the Council for 
New England a grant of the land which they occupied. 



MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY. 

Settlement. — John Endicott and five associates having 
obtained a grant of land about Massachusetts Bay, also secured 
(1629) a royal charter giving authority to make laws and 
govern the territory. The same year this company transferred 
all their rights to the colony. It was a most popular measure, 
and many prominent Puritan famihes flocked to this land 
of liberty. Some gathered around Governor Endicott, who 
had already started Salem and Charlestown, some estabhshed 
colonies at Dorchester and Watertown, and one thousand un- 
der Governor Winthrop founded Boston (1630). 

Religious Disturbances. — The people of Massachusetts 
Bay were Puritans, but not Separatists, in England. Having 
come to America to establish a Puritan church, they were 
unwilling to receive persons holding opinions difiering from 
their own, lest their purpose should be defeated. They ac- 
cordingly sent back to England those who persisted in using 
the forms of the Established Church, and allowed only mem- 
bers of their own church to vote in civil affairs. 

Roger Williams, an eloquent and pious young minister, 
taught that each person should think for himself in all re- 

* As an illustration of their pious content, it is said that at a social dinner consist- 
ing only of clams, the devout host returned thanks to God who " had given them to 
Buck the abundance of the seas, and of the treasures hid in the sands." 



1635.] EPOCH II. 57 

ligious matters, and be responsible to his own conscience 
alone. He declared that the magistrates had, therefore, no 
right to punish blasphemy, perjury, or Sabbath-breaking. 
The clergy and magistrates were alarmed at what they con- 
sidered a doctrine dangerous to the peace of the colony, and 
he was ordered (1635) to be sent to England. It was the 
depth of winter, yet he fled to the forest and found refuge 
among the Indians. The next year, Canonicus, the Narra- 
ganset sachem, gave him land to found a settlement, which 
he gratefully named Providence. 

Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, during the same year, aroused 
most violent and bitter controversy. She claimed to be 
favored with special revelations of God's will. These she 
expounded to crowded congregations of women, greatly to 
the scandal of the clergy and people. Finally she also was 
banished. 

The Quakers, about twenty years after these summary 
measures, created fresh trouble by their pecuhar views. They 
were fined, whipped, imprisoned, and sent out of the colony. 
Yot they constantly returned, glorying in their sufferings. At 
last four were executed. The people beginning to consider 
them as martyrs, the persecution gradually relaxed. 

A Union of the Colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Ply- 
mouth, New Haven, and Connecticut, was formed (1643) 
under the title of The Ui^ited Colon^ies of New Eitg- 
LAifD. This was a famous league in colonial times. The 
object was a common protection against the Indians and the 
encroachments of the Dutch and French settlers. 

King Philip's War. — During the hfe of Massasoit, 
Plymouth enjoyed peace with the Indians, as did Jamestown 
during that of Powhatan. After Massasoit's death, his son, 
Philip, brooded with jealous eye over the encroachments of 



58 



UNITED STATES HISTOEY. 



[1675 




A FORTIFIED HOUSE. 



the whites.* With profound sagacity he planned a confed- 
eration of the Indian tribes against the intruders. The first 
blow fell on the people of Swanzey as they were quietly going 
home from church on Sunday (July 14, 1675). The settlers 
flew to arms, but Phihp escaped and soon fell upon the 
settlements high up the Connecticut valley.f He was every- 
where present, rousing the Indians by his burning eloquence. 

The colonists fortified 
their houses with pali- 
sades, carried their arms 
with them into the 
fields when at work, and 
stacked them at the door 
when at church. Worst- 
ed in a furious attack 
on Hatfield, Phihp fled 
back to Khode Island, 
where the Narraganset Indians gave him shelter. The sav- 
ages had here gathered their winter's provisions, and forti- 
fied themselves in the midst of an almost inaccessible swamp. 
Fifteen hundred of the colonists attacked them in this 
stronghold. The wigwams and stores were burned, and one 

* King Philip lived on Mt. Hope, near Bristol, R. I. 

t At Hadley the Indians surprised the people on Fast day, June 12, 1676. Seizing 
their muskets at the sound of the savage vv^ar-whoop, the men rushed out of the 
meeting-house to fall into line. But the foe was on every side. Confused and be- 
wildered, the settlers seemed about to give way, when suddenly a strange old man 
with long white beard and ancient garb appeared among them. Ringing out a quick, 
sharp word of command, he recalled them to their senses. Following their myste- 
rious leader, they drove the enemy headlong before them. The danger passed, they 
looked around for their deliverer. But he had disappeared as mysteriously as he had 
come. The good people believed that God had sent an angel to their rescue. But 
history reveals the secret. It was the regicide Colonel Goffe, Fleeing from the 
vengeance of Charles II., with a price set upon his head, he had for years wandered 
about, living in mills, clefts of rocks, and forest caves. At last he had found an 
asylum with the Hadley minister. From his window he had seen the stealthy 
Indians coming down the hill. Fired with desire to do one more good deed for 
God's people, he rushed from his hiding-place, led them on to victory, and then 
returned to his retreat, never more to reappear. 



1676.] EPOCH II. 59 

thousand warriors perished. Philip escaped. In the spring 
the war broke out anew along a frontier of three hundred 
miles, and to within twenty miles of Boston. Nowhere fight- 
ing in the open field, but by ambuscade and skulking, 
the Indians kept the whole country in terror. Driven to 
desjieration by their atrocities, the settlers hunted down the 
savages like wild beasts. Philip was chased from one hiding- 
place to another. His family was captured. At last he fled 
to his old home on Mt. Hope, where he was shot by a faithless 
Indian. 

Ne"w England a Royal Province. — The Navigation 
Act, which we have seen so unpopular in Virginia, was ex- 
ceedingly oppressive on Massachusetts, which possessed a thriv- 
ing commerce.* In spite of the decree the colony opened 
a trade with the West Indies. The royahsts in England de- 
termined that this bold repubhcan spirit should be quelled. 
An English officer attempting to enforce the Navigation Act 
was compelled to return home. Charles II. eagerly seized 
upon the excuse thus offered, and made Massachusetts 
a royal province. The king died before his plan was com- 
pleted, but James II. (1686) declared the charters of all the 
New England colonies forfeited, and sent over Sir Edmund 
Andros, first royal governor of New England. He carried 
things with a high hand. The colonies endured his oppres- 
sion for three years, when, learning that his royal master 
was dethroned, they rose against their petty tyrant and put 
him in jail. With true Puritan sobriety they then quietly 
resumed their old form of government. This lasted for 
three years, when Sir Wilham Phipps came as royal gov- 
ernor over a province embracing Massachusetts, Maine, and 
Nova Scotia. From this time till the Eevolution, Massachu- 
setts remained a royal province. 

* The Boston colony built a ship the first year after its settlement. 



GO UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1693. 

Salein Witchcraft (1692). — A strange delusion known 
as the Salem witchcraft,* produced the most intense excite- 
ment The children of Mr. Parris, a minister near Salem, 
performed pranks which could only bo explained by supposing 
that they were under Satanic influence. Every effort was 
made to discover who had bewitched them. An Indian ser- 
vant was flogged until she admitted herself to be guilty. 
Soon others were affected. The terrible mania spread. Com- 
mittees of examination were appointed and courts of trial con- 
vened. The most improbable stories were credited. To ex- 
press a doubt of witchcraft was to indicate one's own alliance 
with the evil spirit. Persons of the highest respectability, 
clergymen, magistrates, and even the governor's Avife were im- 
plicated. At last, after fifty-five persons had been tortured 
and twenty hung, the people awoke to their folly. 



MAINE AND NEW^ HAMPSHIRE. 

'These Colonies were so intimately united with Massa- 
chusetts that they have almost a common history. Gorges 
(gor-jez) and Mason, about two years after the landing of the 
Pilgrims, obtained from the council for New England a tract of 
land which they termed Laconia. It lay between the Merri- 

* A belief in witchcraft was at that time universal. Sir Matthew Hale, one of the 
most enlightened judges of England, repeatedly tried and condemned persons 
accused of witchcraft. Blackstone himself, at a later day, declared that to deny 
witchcraft was to deny Revelation. Cotton Mather, the most prominent minister of 
the colony, was active in the rooting out of this supposed crime. He published a 
book full of the most ridiculous witch stories. One judge, who engaged in this per- 
secution, was afterward so deeply penitent that he observed a day of fasting in each 
year, and on the day of general fust rose in his place in the Old South Church at 
Boston, and in ihe presence of the congregation handed to the pulpit a written con- 
fession acknowledging his error, and praying for forgiveness. 



1623.] EPOCH II. 61 

mac, Kennebec and St Lawrence Eivers. They established 
some small fishing stations near Portsmouth and at Dover. 
This patent being afterward dissolved, Mason took the country 
lying west of the Piscataqua, and named it New Hampshire ; 
Gorges took that lying east, and termed it the province of 
Maine.* Massachusetts, however, claimed this territory, and 
to secure it paid six thousand dollars to the heirs of Gorges. 
Maine was not separated from Massachusetts till 1820. The 
feeble settlements of New Hampshire also placed themselves 
under the protection of Massachusetts. " Three times, either 
by their own consent or by royal authority, they were joined 
in one colony, and as often separated," until 1741, when 
New Hampshire became a royal province, and so remained 
until the Revolution. 



CONNECTICUT. 

Settlement. — About eleven years after the landing of 
the Pilgrims, Lord Say-and-Seal, and Lord Brooke, ob- 
tained from the council for New England a grant of the 
teiTitory now embraced in Oonnecticutf The Dutch, how- 
ever, claimed the valley of the Connecticut, and before the 
English proprietors could take possession, had built a fort at 
Hartford, and commenced traffic with the Lidians. Some 
traders from Plymouth saihng up the river were stopped by 



* To distinguish it from the islands along the coast, this country had been called 
the Mayne (main) land, which perhaps gave rise to its present name. New Hamp- 
shire was so called from Hampshire county, England, Mason's home. The settlers 
of New Hampshire were long vexed with suits brought by the men in whose hands 
Mason's grant had fallen. 

t This State is named from its principal river— Connecticut being the Indian word 
for Long River. 



62 UKITED STATES HISTOEY. [1633. 

the Dutch, who threatened to fire upon them. But they 
kept on and estabhshed a post at Windsor (win'-zer). Many 
people from Boston, allured by the rich meadow lands, settled 
near. In the autumn of 1635, John Steele, one of the proprie- 
tors of Cambridge, led a pioneer company " out west," as it 
was then called, and laid the foundations of Hartford. The 
next year the main band, with their pastor — Thomas Hooker, 
a most eloquent and estimable man — came, driving their 
flocks before them through the wilderness. In the meantime 
John Winthrop* established a fort at the mouth of the river, 
and thus shut out the Dutch. This colony, in honor of the 
proprietors, was named Saybrook. 

^- The Pequod War. — The colonists had no sooner be- 
come settled in their new home than the Pequod Indians 
endeavored to persuade the Narragansets to join in a gen- 
eral attack upon the whites. Roger Williams hearing of 
this, and forgetting all the injuries he had received, set 
out in liis canoe on a stormy night for the Indian village. 
Though the Pequod messengers were present, he prevailed 
upon the old Narraganset chief to remain at home.- So the 
Pequods lost their aUy and were forced to fight alone. They 
commenced by murdering thirty colonists. Captain Mason, 
therefore, resolved to attack their stronghold on the Mystic 
River. His party approached the fort at daybreak (June 4, 
1637). Aroused by the barking of a dog, the sleepy sentinel 
shouted " Owanux ! Owanux ! " (the Englishmen !) but it was 
too late. The troops were already within the palisades. The 
Indians, rallying, made a fierce resistance, when Captain Mason, 

* John Winthrop appears in histoiy without blemish. Highly educated and 
accomplished, he was no less upright and generous. In the bloom of life, he left all 
his brilliant prospects in the old world to follow the fortunes of the new. When his 
father had made himself poor in nurturing the Massachusetts colony, this noble son 
gave up voluntarily his own large inheritance to "further the good work " It was 
through his personal influence and popularity at court that the liberal charter was 
procured from Charles II. which guaranteed freedom to Connecticut. 



1637.] EPOCH II. 63 

seizing a firebrand, hurled it among the wigwams. The 
flames quickly swept through the encampment. The Eng- 
Hsh themselves barely escaped. The few Indians who fled to 
the swamps were hunted down. The tribe perished in a day. 
The Three Colonies.— 1. The New Haven Colomj was 
founded (1G38) by a number of wealthy London famihes. 
They took the Bible for law, and only church members could 
vote. 2. The Connecticut Colony, proper, comprising Hart- 
ford, Wethersfield and Windsor, adopted a written constitu- 
tion in which it was agreed to give the right to vote to all free- 
men. This was the first instance in all history of a written 
constitution framed hy the people. 3. The Saijlroolc Colony 
was at first governed by the proprietors, but was after- 
ward sold to the Connecticut colony. This reduced the three 
colonies to two. 

A Royal Charter was obtained (1662) which combined 
both these colonies and guaranteed to aU the rights which the 
Connecticut colonists had 



agreed upon. This was a 
most precious document, 
since it gave them almost 
independence, and was 
the most favorable yet 
granted to any colony. 
Twenty-four years after, 
Governor Andros march- 
ing from Boston over the the charter oak. 
route where the pious Hooker had led his little flock 
fifty years before, came "ghttering with scarlet and lace " into 
the assembly at Hartford, and demanded the charter. A pro- 
tracted debate ensued. The people crowded around to take a 
last look at this guarantee of their liberties, when suddenly 
the lights Avere extinguished. On being relighted, the charier 




64 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1687, 

was gone. William Wadsworth had seized it, escaped through 
the crowd and hidden it in the hollow of a tree, famous ever 
after as the Charter Oak. However, Andros pronounced the 
charter government at an end, and wrote " Finis ^' at the 
close of the minutes of their last meeting. When the gov- 
ernor was so summarily deposed in Boston the people hrought 
the charter from its hiding-place, the general court reassem- 
bled, and the " finis " disappeared.* 



RHODE ISLAND. 

Settlement. — Eoger Williamsf settled Providence Planta- 
tion in 1636, the year in which Hooker came to Hartford. 
Other exiles from Massachusetts followed,;]: among them the 
celebrated Mrs. Hutchinson. A party of these purchased § 
the island of Aquiday and estabhshed the Rhode Island Plan- 
tation. Roger Williams stamped upon these colonies his 

* Another attempt to infringe upon charter rights occurred in 1693. Governor 
Fletcher ordered the militia placed under his own commahd. Having called them 
out to listen to his royal commission, he began to read. Immediately Captain Wads- 
worth ordered the drums to be beaten. Fletcher commanded silence, and began 
again. "Drum, drum I" cried Wadsworth. "Silence!" shouted the governor. 
"Drum, drum, I say!" repeated the captain; and then turning to Fletcher, with a 
meaning look, he added: "If I am interrupted again I will make the sun shine 
through you in a moment." The governor concluded not to press the matter. 

t Williams was not the first European who had lived within the limits of Ehode 
Island, although he Avas really the founder of that State. William Blackstone, being 
as dissatisfied with the yoke of the "lords brethren" in Boston as with that of the 
" lords bishops" in England, had some time before removed to the banks of what is now 
called the Blackstone, near the present site of Providence. However, he had no in- 
tention of founding a new colony, and acknowledged the jurisdiction of Massa- 
chusetts. 

X Persecuted refuerees from all quarters flocked to Providence; and Williams 
shared equally with all the lands he had obtained, reserving to himself only two small 
fields which, on his first arrival, he had planted with his own hands. 

§ An island of a reddish appeariince was observed lying in the bay. This was 
known to the Dutch as Roode or Red Island. Hence the name of the island and 
State of Rhode l^\a.n([.—Brodhead. 



1638.] EPOCH II. 65 

favorite idea of religious toleration, i. e., that the civil power 
has no right to interfere with the rehgious opinions of men. 

A Charter. — The colonists wished to join the New Eng- 
land Union, but were refused on the ostensible plea that they 
had no charter.* Williams accordingly visited England and 
obtained a charter uniting the two plantations. On his return 
the people met, elected their officers, and (1647) agreed on a 
set of laws guaranteeing freedom of faith and worship to all, — 
"the first legal declaration of hberty of conscience ever 
adopted in Europe or America." 

/f 




I ^ 1 

Settlement. — Soon after the discoveiry of the Hudson, as 

previously described (p. 39), Dutch ships began to visit the 

river to traffic in furs with the Indians. Afterward the West 

India Company obtained a grant of New Netherland, and 

under its patronage permanent settlements were made at New 

Amsterdam f and Fort Orange (Albany). The company 

allowed persons who should plant a colony of fifty settlers to 

select and buy land of the Indians, which it was agreed should 

descend to their heirs forever. These persons were called 

" patroons " (patrons) of the manor.J 

The Four Dutch Governors.— The history of New York 

* We say ostensible because Massachusetts showed her ill-will by refiising to al- 
low Rhode Island traders on her soil, and threatening to arrest them if they ven- 
tured across her line. She also compelled Williams, when he went to England, to go 
to New York, take a Dutch vessel, and sail via Holland, instead of shipping direct 
from Boston. 

t The island where New York city now stands was purchased of the Manhattan 
Indians for about $24. The Dutch called it New Amsterdam. 

t Some of these manors remain to this day. The famous "anti-rent" difficulties 
grew out of such titles. 



66 



UNITED STATES HISTORY 



[1633. 



for twenty years is only an account of Indian butcheries, 
yaried by difficulties with the Swedes on the Delaware, and 
the English on the Connecticut.* These disturbances are 
monotonous enough in the recital, but doubtless thrilled the 
blood of the early Knickerbockers. Peter Stuyvesant was the 
last and ablest of the four Dutch governors. He agreed with 
Connecticut upon the boundary hne, and taking an armed force 




THE ENGLISH LANDING AT NEW YORK, 1664. 

marched upon the Swedes, who at once submitted to him. 
But the old Governor hated democratic institutions, and was 
terribly vexed in this wise. There were some English in the 
colony, and they longed for the rights of self-government 
Avhich the Connecticut people enjoyed. They kept demand- 
ing these privileges and talking of them to their Dutch neigh- 
bors. At this juncture an English fleet came to anchor in the 

* These diBputcs arose from the fact that the Dutch claimed the territory lying 
between the Delaware aud the Counecticxit. 



1G64.] EPOCH II. 67 

harbor, and demanded the surrender of the town in the 
name of the Duke of York. Stout-hearted old Peter pled 
with his council to tight. But in vain. They rather liked 
the idea of English rule. The surrender was signed, and 
at last the reluctant governor attached his name. In 
September, 1664, the English flag floated over Manhattan 
Island. The colony was named New York in honor of the 
proprietor. 

The English Governors disappointed the people by not 
granting their coveted rights. A remonstrance against being 
taxed without representation was burned by the hangman. 
So that when, after nine years of English rule, a Dutch fleet 
appeared in the harbor, the people went back quietly under 
their old rulers. But the next year peace being restored be- 
tween England and Holland, ISTew Amsterdam became New 
York again. Thus ended the Dutch rule in the colonies. 
Andros, who twelve years after played the tyrant in New Eng- 
land, was the next governor. He ruled so arbitrarily that he 
was called home. Under his successor, Dongan, there was a 
gleam of civil fi-eedom. • By permission of the Duke of York, 
he called an assembly of the representatives of the people. 
This was but transient, for two years after, when the Duke of 
York became James II., king of England, he forgot all his 
promises, forbade legislative assemblies, prohibited printing- 
presses, and annexed the colony to New England. When, 
however, Andros was driven from Boston, Nicholson, his lieuten- 
ant and apt tool of tyranny in New York, fled at once. Cap- 
tain Leisler, supported by the democracy but bitterly opposed 
by the aristocracy, thereupon administered afiairs very pru- 
dently until the arrival of Governor Slaughter (slaw-ter) who 
arrested him on the absurd charge of treason. Slaughter 
was unwilling \o execute him, but Leisler's enemies, at a 
dinner party, made the governor drunk, obtained his signa- 



68 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1691. 

fcure, and before he became sober enough to repent, Leisler 
was no more.* 

From this time till the Ee volution, the struggles of the peo- 
ple with the royal governors for their rights, developed the 
spirit of hberty and paved the way for that eventful crisis. 



NEV/ JERSEY. 

Settlement. — The present State of New Jersey was em- 
braced in the territory of New Netherland, and the Dutch 
made settlements at several places near New York. Soon 
after New Netherland passed into the hands of the Duke of 
York, he gave the landf between the Hudson and Delaware 
to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. In 1664, a com- 
pany from Long Island and New England settled at Ehza- 
bethtown, which they named after Carteret's wife. This was 
the first permanent English settlement in the State. 

East and West Jersey. — Lord Berkeley sold his share 
to some English Quakers. This part was called West Jersey. 
A company of Quakers soon settled at Burhngton. Others 
followed, and thus West Jersey became a Quaker colony. Sir 
George Carteret's portion was called East Jersey. After 



* For many years the Atlantic Ocean was infested by pirates. A little after the 
events narrated above, William Kidd, a New York shipmaster, was sent out to 
cruise against these sea-robbers. He turned pirate himself and became the most noted 
of them all. Returning from his cruise he was at length captured while boldly walk- 
ing in the streets of Boston, He was carried to England, tried, and hung. His name 
and deeds have been woven into popular romance, and the song " My name is Cap- 
tain Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed," is well known. He is believed to have buried his 
ill-gotten riches on the coast of Long Island or the banks of the Hudson, and 
these localities have been oftentimes searched by credulous persons seeking for 
Kidd's treasure. 

t This tract was called New Jersey in honor of Carteret, who had been governor 
of Jersey island in the English channel. , 



1682] EPOCH II. 69 

his death it was sold to WilHam Penn and eleven other 
Quakers.* 

New Jersey United. — Constant disputes arose out of 
the land titles. Among so many proprietors the tenants 
hardly knew from whom to obtain their titles for land. The 
proprietors finally (1702) surrendered their rights of govern- 
ment to the English crown, and the whole of New Jersey was 
united with New York under one governor, but with a sepa- 
rate assembly. Thirty-six years after, at the earnest request 
of the people, New Jersey was set apart as a distinct royal 
province. 



PENNSYLVANIA AND DELAWARE. 

Settlement. — The first settlement in Delaware was made 
(1638) by the Swedes, on a tract of land which they called 
New Sweden, lying near Wilmington. They also made the 
first settlement in Pennsylvania, a few miles below Philadel- 
phia. The Dutch subsequently conquered these settlements, 
but they continued to prosper long after the Swedish and 
Dutch rule had yielded to the constantly growing English 
power. 

William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, was a cele- 
brated English Quaker. f He obtained from Charles II. a grant 

* It was settled, however, largely by Puritans and Scotch Presbyterians. The 
latter having refused to accept the English form of religion, had been bitterly perse- 
cuted. Fleeing their native country they found an asylum in this favored land. 

t The Quakers, avoiding unmeaning forms, aim to lead purely spiritual lives. 
Their usual worship is conducted in solemn silence, each soul for itself. They take 
no oath, make no compliments, remove not the hat to king or ruler, and " thee " 
and " thou " both friend and foe. Every day is to them a holy day, and the Sabbath 
simply a day of rest. We can readily see how this must have scandalized the 
Puritans. 

William Penn became a Quaker while in college at Oxford. Refusing to wear the 



70 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1682. 

of the land lying west of the Delaware. This tract Penn 
named Sylvania, but the king insisted upon calling it Penn- 
sylvania* (Penn's woods). The Duke of York added to this 
gi'ant the present State of Delaware, which soon came to be 
termed the " Three loAver counties on the Delaware." Penn 
wished to form a refuge for his Quaker brethren, who were 
bitterly persecuted in England. He at once sent over large 
numbers, as many as two thousand in a single year. The 
next year he came himself. On his arrival he was received by 
the settlers with the greatest cordiality and respect. 

Philadelphia Founded. — The year following (1683) 
Penn purchased land of the Swedes and laid out a city which 
he named Philadelphia, signifying Irotherly love. It was in 
the midst of the forest, and the startled deer bounded past the 
settler who came to survey his new home. Yet within a year it 
had one hundred houses ; in two years numbered over two 
thousand inhabitants; and in three years had gained more 
than New York had in half a century. 

The Great Law was a code agreed upon by the legisla- 
tive body which Penn called from among the settlers soon 
after his arrival. It made faith in Christ a necessary qualifi- 
cation, for voting and office-holding; but also provided that 
no one believing in " Almighty God " should be molested in 
his religious views. The Quakers, having been persecuted 



customary student's surplice, he with others violently assaulted some fellow-students 
and stripped them of their robes. For this he was expelled. His father would not 
allow him to return home. Afterward relenting, he sent him to Paris, Cork, and 
other cities, to soften his Quaker peculiarities. After several unhap jy quarrels, his 
father proposed to overlook all else if he would only consent to dofif his hat to the 
king, the Duke of York, and himself. Penn still refusins:, he was again turned out 
of doors. He was several times imprisoned for his religious extremes. On the 
death of his father, to whom he had once more been reconciled, he became heir to 
quite a fortune. He took the territory which forms Pennsylvania in pajTuent of a 
debt of £16,000 clue his father from the crown. 

* Penn offered the secretary who drew up the charter twenty guineas to leave off 
the prefix " Penn." This request being denied, the king was appealed to, who com- 
manded it to be called Pennsylvania in honor of William Penn's father. 



1683.] 



EPOCH II. 



71 



themselves, did not celebrate their Hberty by persecuting 
others. Penn, himself, surrendered the most of his power to 
the people. His highest ambition seemed to be to advance 
theh interests. He often declared that if he knew anything 
more to make them happier, he would freely grant it. 

Penn's Treaty with the Indians* possesses a rom^antic 
interest. He met them un- 
der a large elm treef near 
Philadelphia. The savages 
were touched by his gentle 
words and kindly bearing. 
" We will live in love with 
William Penn and his chil- 
dren," said they, "as long 
as the sun and moon shall 
shine.";): 

Penn's Return.— Penn 
returned to England (IGS-i) 
leaving the colony fairly 
established. His benevo- 
lent spirit shone forth in 
his parting words, "Dear 
friends, my love salutes 

you all. STATUE OF PENN IN PHILADELPHIA. 

Delavrare. — The three lower counties on the Delaware 




* " We meet," said Pena, " on the broad pathway of good faith and good will ; no 
advantage shall be taken on either side, but all shall be openness and love. The 
friendship between you and me I will not compare to a chain ; for that the rains 
might rust or the falling tree might break. We are the same as if one man's body 
were to be divided into two parts ; we are all one flesh and blood." 

t This tree was carefully preserved until 1810, when it was blown down. A mon- 
ument now marks the spot. 

t The simple-minded natives kept the history of this treaty by means of strings 
of wampum, and they would often count over the shells on a clean piece of bark and 
rehearse its provisions. "Ttwas the only treaty never sworn to, and the only one 
never broken." On every hand the Indians waged relentless war with the colonies, 
but they never shed a drop of Quaker blood. 



72 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1690. 

being greatly offended by the action of the council which 
Penn had left to govern in his absence, set up for themselves. 
Penn "sorrowfully" consented to their action, appointed a 
deputy governor over them, and afterward granted them an 
assembly. Pennsylvania and Delaware, however, remained 
under one governor until the Revolution. 

Penn's Heirs after his death (1718).became proprietors 
of the flourishing colony he had estabhshed. It was ruled by 
deputies whom they appointed, until (1779) the State of 
Pennsylvania bought out their claims by the payment of 
about half a million of dollars. 



MARYLAND. 



Settlement. — Lord Baltimore* [Cecil Calvert], a Cathohc, 
was anxious to secure for the friends of his church a refuge 
from the persecutions which they were then suffering in 
England.! He accordingly obtained from King Charles a 
grant of land lying north of the Potomac. The first settle- 
ment was made (1634) by his brother at an Indian village 
which he called St. Mary's, near the mouth of the Potomac. 

The Charter was very different from that granted to Vir- 

* His father, George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, with this same design had 
attempted to plant a colony in Newfoundland. But failing on account of the sever- 
ity of the climate, he visited Virginia. Finding tbat the Catholics were there treated 
with great harshness, he returned to England, took out a grant of land, and bestowed 
upon it, in honor of the queen, Henrietta Maria, the name Maryland. Ere the patent 
had received the great seal of the king. Lord Baltimore died. His son, inherit- 
ing the father's noble and benevolent views, secured the grant himself, and carried 
out the philanthropic scheme. 

t It is curious to observe how largely this country was peopled in its earlier days 
by refugees for religious faith. The Huguenots, the Puritans, the Quakers, the 
Presbyterians, the Catholics, the persecuted of every sect and creed, all flocked to 
this " home of the free." 



1632.] EPOCH II. 73 

ginia, since it gave to all freemen a voice in making the laws. 
An Assembly, called in accordance with this provision, passed 
(1649) the celebrated Toleration Act, which secured to all 
Christians liberty to worship God according to the dictates of 
their own conscience. Maryland, hke Rhode Island,* became 
an asylum for the persecuted. 

Civil Wars.— 1. Claylorne's ReMlion (1635).— The Vir- 
ginia colony claimed that Lord Baltimore's grant covered ter- 
ritory belonging to them. Clayborne, a member of the 
Jamestown council, was especially obstinate in the matter. 
He had already established two trading posts in Maryland, 
which he prepared to defend by force of arms. A bloody 
skirmish ensued, in which his party were beaten. He, him- 
self, had fled to Virginia, on the eve of battle, but being ac- 
cused of treason, he was sent to England for trial. He was, 
however, acquitted of this charge. Ten years afterward he 
came back, raised a rebellion, and drove Calvert, then governor 
of Maryland, out of the colony. The governor returned at 
last with a strong force, and Clayborne fled. This ended the 
contest. 

2. The Protestants and the Catholics. — The Protestants, 
Having obtained a majority in the Assembly, made a most un- 
grateful use of their power. Quarrehng with the proprietor 
and his hereditary rights, they assailed his rehgion, excluded 
Catholics from the Assembly, and even declared them outside 
the protection of the law. Civil war ensued. For years the 
victory alternated. At one time two governments, one Protes- 
tant, the other Catholic, were sustained. In 1691, Lord Balti- 
more was entirely deprived of his rights as proprietor, and 
Maryland became a royal province. The Church of England 

* Two years before, Rhode Island had passed an act protecting all kinds of re- 
ligions faith and worship. Maryland extended protection to all forms of Christianity 
alone. 



74 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1691. 

was established, and the Cathohcs were again disfranchised 
in the very province they had planted. In 1715, the fourth 
Lord Baltimore recovered the government. Rehgious toler- 
ation was again restored. Maryland remained under this 
administration until the Revolution. 



THE CAROLINAS. 

Settlement. — Lord Clarendon and several other noblemen 
obtained (1663) from Charles II.* a grant of a vast tract south 
of Virginia, which was termed in honor of the king, Caro- 
lina. Two permanent settlements were soon made. 1. The 
Albemarle \ Colony. This was a name given to a plantation 
which was already settled by people who had pushed through 
the wilderness from Virginia. A governor from their own 
number was appointed over them. They were then left in 
quiet to enjoy their liberties and forget the world. J 2. The 
Carteret Colony was estabhshed (1670) by English emigrants. 
They first sailed into the well-known waters where Ribaut 
anchored and the fort of Carolina was erected so long before. 
Landing, they began a settlement on the banks of the Ashley, 
but afterward removed to the " ancient groves covered with 
yellow jessamine," which marked the site of the present 
city of Charleston. The growth of this colony was rapid 
from the first. Thither came shiploads of Dutch from New 
York, dissatisfied with the English rule and attracted by the 

* Thip in Latin is Carolus IE. 

t Both colonies were named after prominent proprietors of the grant. 
X Except when rent day came. Then they were called upon to pay a half-penny 
per acre to the English proprietors. 



1682] EPOCHII. 75 

genial climate. The Huguenots (French Protestants), hunted 
from their homes, here found a southern welcome.* 

The G-rand Model was a form of government for the 
colonies prepared by Lord Shaftesbury and the celebrated 
philosopher, John Locke. It was a magnificent scheme. It 
divided the mlderness into baronies and manors, with various 
orders of nobility. But the model was aristocratic, while the 
people were democratic. It granted no rights of self-govern- 
ment, while the settlers came into the wilderness for the love of 
liberty. This was not the soil on which vain titles and empty 
pomp could flourish. To make the Grand Model a success, 
it would have been necessary to transform the log-cabin into a 
baronial castle, and the independent settlers into armed 
retainers. The attempt to introduce it arousing the most 
\dolent opposition, it was at length abandoned. 

North and South Carolina Separated. — The two 
colonies, — the northern, or Albemarle, and the southern, or 
Carteret, — ^being so remote from each other, had from the 
beginning separate governors, though they remained one 
province. There was constant fi-iction between the settlers 
and the proprietors. The people were jealous. The pro- 
prietors were arbitrary. Rents, taxes, and rights were plenti- 
ful sources of irritation. Things kept on in this unsettled way 
until (1729) the discouraged proprietors ceded to the crown 
their right of government and seven-eighths of the soil. The 
two colonies were separated and remained royal provinces 
until the Revolution. 



* In Charleston alone there were at one time as many as 16,000 Huguenots. They 
added whole streets to the city. Their severe morality, marked charity, elegant 
manners and thrifty habits, made them a most desirable acquisition. They brought 
the mulberry and olive, and established magnificent plantations on the banks of the 
Cooper. They also introduced many choice varieties of pears, which still bear illus- 
trious Huguenot names. Their descendants are eminently honorable, and have borne 
a proud part in the establishment of our Republic. Of seven presidents who were 
at the head of the Congress of Philadelphia during the Revolution, three were of 
Huguenot parentage. 



76 UNITED STATES HISTOKY. [1732. 



GEORGIA. 

Settlement — In the same year in which "Washington 
was bom (1732), this last colony of the famous thirteen which 
were to fight for independence nnder him was planned. 
James Oglethorpe, a wann-hearted English ofiBcer, had con- 
ceived the idea of founding a refuge for debtors burdened 
by the severe laws of that time. He naturally turned to 
America, which was oven then the home of the oppressed. 
George II. granted him " in trust for the poor " a tract of land 
Avhich, in honor of the king, was called Georgia. Oglethorpe 
settled at Savannah in 1733.* A general interest was excited 
in England, and many charitable people gave liberally to pro- 
mote the enterprise. More emigrants followed, including, as 
in the other colonies, many who sought religious or civil 
liberty.f The trustees limited the size of a man's farm, 
did not allow women to inherit land, and forbade the 
importation of rum,J or of slaves. These restrictions were 
irksome, and great discontent prevailed. At last the trustees, 



* He made peace with the Indians, conciliating them by presents and by his 
kindly disposition. One of the chiefs gave him in return a buffalo's skin with the 
head and feathers of an eagle painted on the inside of it. " The eagle," said the 
chief, " signifies swiftness ; and the buffalo strength. The English are swift as a 
bird to fly over the vast seas, and as strong as a beast before their enemies. The 
eagle's feathers are soft and signify love ; the buffalo's skin is warm and means pro- 
tection ; therefore love and protect our families." 

t The gentle Moravians and sturdy Scotch Highlanders were among the number, 
and proved a valuable acquisition to the colony. The former had fled hither 
from Austria, for " conscience' sake." Having founded a little colony among the 
pine forests of Georgia, they named it Ebenezer,— taking as their motto '' Hitherto 
hath the Lord helped us." When John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, came to 
America as a missionary with his brother Charles, they were greatly charmed with 
the fervent piety of this simple people. The celebrated George Whitfield afterward 
founded an orphan asylum at Savannah, which he supported by contributions from 
the immense audiences which his wonderfiil eloquence attracted. On one occasion 
eixty thousand were gathered to hear him, and liis open-air meetings were often 
attended by from twenty thousand to forty thousand people. 

t Rum was obtained in exchange- for lumber In the West Indies. Hence this law 
prevented the trade and cut off a valuable source of profit. 



1753.] E P O C H 1 1 . 77 

wearied by the complaints of the colonists, surrendered their 
charter to the crown. Georgia remained a royal province 
till the Eevolution. 



INTER-COLONIAL V/ARS. 

1. KING WILLIAM'S WAR. 
(1689-1697.) 

Cause. — War haying broken out in Europe between Eng- 
land and France, their colonies in America took up the 
quarrel. The Indians of Canada and Maine aided the French, 
and the Iroquois (Five Nations of New York) assisted the 
English. 

Attacks upon the Colonists. — War parties of the 
French and Indians coming down on their snow-shoes from 
Canada through the forest in the depth of winter, fell upon 
the exposed settlements of New York and New England. 
The most horrible barbarities were committed. Schenectady, 
unsuspecting and defenceless, was attacked at midnight. 
Men, women, and cliildren were dragged from their beds and 
tomahawked. The few who escaped, half-naked, made their 
way through the snow of that fearful night to Albany.* 



* The histories of the time abound in thrilling stories of Indian adventure. One 
day in March, 1697, Haverhill, Mass., was attacked. Mr. Dustin was at work in the 
field.. Harrying to his house he brought out his seven children and bidding tnem 
"■ run ahead," he slowly retreated, keeping the Indians back with his gun. He thus 
brought off his little flock in safety. His wife, who was unable to escape with him, 
was dragged into captivity. The party who had captured Mrs. Dustin marched many 
days through the forest, and at length reached an island in the Merrimac. Here she 
resolved to escape. A white boy, who had been taken prisoner before, found out 
from his master, at Mrs. Dustin's request, how to strike a blow that would produce 
instant death, and how to take off a scalp. Having learned these facts, in the night 



78 



U KITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1G90. 




THE INDIAN ATTACK ON SCHENECTADY. 



Attacks by the Colonists. — Aroused by these scenes of 
savage ferocity the colonists organized two expeditions, one 
under Governor Phipps of Massachusetts, against Port Eoyal, 
Acadia, and the other a combined land and naval attack 
on Canada. The former was successful, and secured, it is said, 
plunder enough to pay the expenses of the expedition. The 
latter was a disastrous failure. 

Peace. — The war lasted eight years. It was ended by the 
treaty of Kyswick (riz'-wik). Each party held the territory 
it had at the beginning of the war. 



she awoke the boy and her nurse, and arranged their parts. The task was soon 
done. Seizing each a tomahawk they killed ten of the sleeping Indians ; only one 
escaped. Scalping the dead bodies in order to prove her story when she reached 
home, she hastened to the bank, where, finding a canoe, they descended the river and 
soon rejoined her family. 



1702.] EPOCH II. 79 

II. QUEEN ANNE'S WAR. 
(1702-1713.) 

Cause. — England declaring war against France and Spain, 
hostilities soon broke out between their colonies. The Five 
Nations had made a treaty with the French, and so took no 
part in the contest. Their neutrality protected New York 
from invasion. The brunt of the war, therefore, fell on 'New 
England. 

Attacks upon the Colonists. — The New England fron- 
tier was again desolated.* Eemote settlements were aban- 
doned. The people betook themselves to palisaded houses, and 
worked their farms with their guns always at hand. 

Attacks by the Colonists. — 1. At the South. — South 
Carolina made a fruitless expedition against her old enemies 
at St. Augustine (1702).t 

2. At the North. — Port Eoyal was again wrested from 
the French by a combined force of English and colonial 

* On the last night of February, 1704, while the snow was fom* feet deep, a 
party of about three hundred and fifty French and Indians reached a pine forest 
near Deerfield, Mass. Skulking about till the unfaithful sentinels deserted the morn- 
ing watch, they rushed upon the defenceless slumberers, who awoke from their 
dreams to death or captivity. Leaving behind the blazing village with forty-seven 
dead bodies to be consumed amid the wreck, they started back with their train of one 
hundred and twelve captives. The horrors of that march through the wilderness can 
never be told. The groan of helpless exhaustion, or the wail of suffering childhood, 
was instantly stilled by the pitiless tomahaAvk. Mrs. Williams, the feeble wife of 
the minister, had remembered her Bible in the midst of surprise, and comforted 
herself with its promises, till, her strength failing, she commended her five captive 
children to God and bent to the savage blow of the war-axe. One of her daughters 
grew up in captivity, embraced the Catholic faith, and became the wife of a chief. 
Tears after she visited her friends in Deerfield. The whole villaore joined in a fast 
for her deliverance, but her heart loved best her own Mohawk children, and she went 
back to the fires of her Indian wigwam. 

t Four years after, the French and Spanish in Havana sent a fleet against Charles- 
ton. The people, however, valiantly defended themselves, and soon drove off" their 
assailants. 



80 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1710. 

troops. In honor of the queen, the name was changed to 
Annapohs. Another expedition sailed against Quebec, but 
many of the ships were dashed upon the rocks in the St. 
Lawrence and nearly one thousand men perished. Thus 
ended the second attempt for the conquest of Canada. 

Peace. — The war lasted eleven years. It was ended by 
the treaty of Utrecht (u-trekt). Acadia was ceded to Eng- 
land. 



III. KING GEORGE'S V/AR.* 

(1744-1748.) 

Capture of Louisburg. — War again breaking out be- 
tween England and France, the flame was soon kindled in the 
new world. The only event of importance was the capture 
of Louisburgf on the island of Cape Breton, by a combined 
force of English and colonial troops. The latter did most of 
the fighting, but the former took the glory and the booty. 

* This war was immediately preceded by what is known as the " Spanish Wak." 
It grew out of the difliculties then existing between England and Spain. It was 
marked by no important event in the colonies. Governor Oglethorpe invested (1740) St. 
Augustine with a force of two thousand men, but the strength of the Spanish garri- 
son, and the loss by sickness, caused the attempt to be abandoned. The Spaniards, 
in their turn, sent (1742) an expedition against Georgia. By means of a letter which 
Governor Oglethorpe caused to fall into the hands of the Spaniards they were made 
to believe that he expected large reinforcements. Being frightened they burned the 
fort they had captured, and fled in haste. The colonies, also, furnished about four 
thousand men for an expedition against the Spanish settlements in the West Indies. 
Only a few hundred ever returned from this disastrous enterprise. 

t This had been called the "Gibraltar of America." The fortifications were very 
extensive, and cost upward of $5,0(X),{)00. The siege was conducted in the most un- 
scientific way. The colonial troops laughed at military terms and discipline. When 
the place was captured they were themselves astonished at what they had done. The 
achievement called forth great rejoicing over the country, especially in New England, 
and had an influence on the Revolutionary War, thirty years after. Colonel Gridley, 
who planned General Pepperell's batteries in this siege, laid out the American en- 
trencliments on Bunker Hill. The same old drums that beat the triumphal entrance 
of the New Englanders into Louisburg, June 17, 1745, beat at Bunker Hill June 17, 
1775. " When General Gage was erecting entrenchments on Boston Neck, the pro- 
vincials sneeringly remarked that his mud walls were nothing compared to the stone 
walls of old Louisburg." 



1748.] EPOCniI. 81 

Peace being made in 1748 by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 
(akes-la-sha-pel), England gave back Louisburg to the French. 
The boundaries between the French and Enghsh colonies were 
left undecided, and so the germ of a new war remained. 



IV. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 
(1754-1763.) 

Cause. — The Enghsh occupied at this time a narrow strip 
along the coast one thousand miles in length. It was hke a 
string to the great bow of the French territory which reached 
around from Quebec to New Orleans. Both nations claimed 
the region west of the Alleghany Mountains, along the Ohio 
Kiver. The three previous inter-colonial wars had engendered 
the most bitter hatred. Occasions of quarrel were abundant. 
The French had over sixty mihtary posts guarding the long 
line of then* possessions. They seized the Enghsh surveyors 
along the Ohio.* They broke up a British post on the 
Miami.f They built a fort at Presque Isle (pres-keel) near 
the present town of Erie, Penn. ; another, Fort le Boeuf (le 
buf), at the present town of'Waterford; and a third, Fort 
Venango, about twelve miles south, on French Creek. These 
encroachments awakened the hveliest sohcitude on the part of 
the colonists. 

Washington's Journey. — Din-wid'-die, heutenant-gov- 
ernor of Virginia, sent a message by George Washington, then 
a young man of twenty-one, to the French commander of 
these forts, asking their removal. Washington, the very day 

* By French and English both, the claims of the real proprietors, the Indians, 
were overlooked. The Indians, feeling this, sent to the agent of the Ohio Company 
this pertinent query, " Where is the Indian's land ? The English claim all on one 
side of the river, the French all on the other. Where does onr land lie ?" 

+ Their Indian allies capturing the Miami chief who defended his English friends, 
killed and ate him, in true savage style. 



82 



UNITED STATES HISTOKY. 



[1753. 



he received his credentials, set out on his perilous journey 
through the wilderness from Williamsburg to Lake Erie. He 
found the French officer at Fort Venango loud and boastful 
At Fort le Boeuf the commandant, St. Pierre (sang pe-are), 
treated him with great respect ; but, like a true soldier, refused 
to discuss theories, and declared himself under orders which 




AN INCIDENT OF WASHINGTON S RETURN. 



he should obey. It was clear "that France was determined to 
hold the teri'itory explored by the heroic La Salle and Mar- 
quette. The shore in front of the fort was even then lined 
with canoes ready for an intended expedition down the 
river. "Washington's return through the wilderness, a distance 
of four hundred miles, was full of peril.* He at last reached 
home unharmed, and delivered St. Pierre's reply. 

* The streams were Bwollen. The snow was falling and freezing as it fell. The 
horses gave out, and he was forced to proceed on foot. With only one companion 
he quitted the usual path, and, with the compass as his guide, stnick boldly out 



1754.] EPOCniI. 83 

War Opens. — Early the next spring the French, at the 
fork of the Monongahela and Alleghany, drove otf a party of 
English traders and erected a fort, which was called Du 
Quesne (doo-kfine). Soon, among the blackened stumps, corn 
and barley were growing on the present site of Pittsburg. In 
the meantime a regiment of Virginia troops, under Colonel 
Frye, Washington being second in command, had been sent 
out to occupy this important point. Learning that the French 
had anticipated them, Washington hastened forward with a 
reconnoitering party. Jumonville (zhoo-mong-veel), who was 
hiding among the rocks with a company of French troops, 
waiting an opportunity to attack him, was himself surprised 
and defeated.* Colonel Frye dying soon after, Washington 
assumed command. Collecting the troops at the Great 
Meadows, he erected a stockade, which he aptly named Fort 
Necessity. Here he was attacked l^y a large force of French 
and Indians, and after a severe conflict was compelled to ca- 
pitulate. 

The Five Objective Points of the War.— 1. Fort du 
Quesne was the key to the region west of the AUeghanies, and 
as long as the French held it, Virginia and Pennsylvania were 
exposed to Indian attacks. 2. The possession of Louisburg 
and Acadia threatened New England, while it gave control 
over the Newfoundland fisheries. French privateers harbored 
there, darted out and captured English ships, and then re- 
turned where they were safe from pursuit. 3. Crown Point 
and Ticonderoga controlled the route to Canada by the way 

through the forest. An Indian, lying in wait, fired at him only a few paces off", hut 
missing, was captured. Attempting to cross the Alleghany on a rude raft, they were 
caught in the trembling ice. Washington thrust out his pole to check the speed, but 
was jerked into the foaming water. Swimming to an island, he barely saved his 
life. Fortunately, in the morning the river was frozen over, and he escaped on 
the ice. 

* Washington's word of command to " fire !" on that skulking foe, on the night 
of May 28, 1754, was the opening of the campaign. W'ashington himself, it is said, 
fired the first gun of that long and bloody war. 



84 UNITED states' HISTORY. [175^ 

of Lake George and Lake Champlain, and also offered a safe 
starting-point for French expeditions against New York and 
New England. 4. Niagara lay on the portage between Lake 
Erie and Lake Ontario, and thus protected the great fur trade 
of the upper lakes and the west. 5. Quebec being the strong- 
est fortification in Canada, gave control of the St. Lawrence^ 
and largely decided the possession of that province. 

We thus see why these points were so persistently attacked 
by the English, and so obstinately defended by the French. 
We shall speak of them in order. 

1. Fort du Quesne. — The First Expedition (1755) 
was commanded by General Braddock, Washington acting as 
aid-de-camp. The general was a regular British officer, proud 
and conceited. Washington warned him of the dangers of 
savage warfare, but his suggestions were received with con- 
tempt.* The column came within ten miles of the fort, 
marching along the Monongahela in regular an-ay, drums 
beating and colors flying. Suddenly, in ascending a little 
slope, with a deep ravine and thick underbrush on either side, 
they encountered the Indians lying in ambush. The terrible 
war whoop resounded on every side. The British regulars 
huddled together, and, frightened, fired by platoons, at random, 
against rocks and trees. The Virginia troops alone sprang 
into the forest and fought the savages in Indian style. Wash- 
ington seemed everywhere present. An Indian chief with his 
braves especially singled him out.f Four balls passed through 
his clothes. Two horses were shot under him. Braddock 
was mortally wounded and borne from the field. At last, 
when the continental troops were nearly all killed, the regu- 

* "The Indians," said he, "may frighten continental troops, but they can 
make no impression on the king's regulars 1" 

t Fifteen years after, this old Indian chief came "a long way" to see the Virginia 
officer at whom he fired a rifle fifteen times without hitting him, during the Monon- 
gahela fight. Washington never received a wound in battle. 



1755.] EPOCH II. 85 

lars turned and fled disgracefully, abandoning everything to 
the foe. Washington covered their flight and saved the wreck 
of the amiy from pursuit 

Second Expedition (1758). — General Forbes led the second 
expedition, Washington commanding the Virginia troops. 
The general lost so much time in building roads that he was 
fifty miles from the fort in November. A council of war had 
decided to give up the attempt. But Washington receiving 
news of the weakness of the French garrison, urged a forward 
movement He himself led the advance guard, and by his 
vigilance dispelled all danger of Indian surprise. The French 
fii'ed the fort, and fled at his approach. As the flag of Eng- 
land floated out over the ruined ramparts, this gateway of the 
west was named Pittsburg.* 

2. Acadia and Louisburg. — 1. Acadia, — Scarcely had 
the war commenced than an attack was made on Acadia. 
The French forts at the head of the Bay of Fundy were 
quickly taken, and the entire region east of the Penobscot fell 
into the hands of the English, f 

2. Louisburg (1757). — General Loudoun collected an army 
at Hahfax for an attack on Louisburg. After spending aU 
summer in drilhng his troops, " he gave up the attempt on 
learning that the French fleet contained one more ship than 
his own !" The next year Generals Amlierst and Wolfe cap- 



* This wae in honor of William Pitt, prime minister of England, whose true 
friendship for the colonies was warmly appreciated in America. He came into 
power in 1758, and from that time the war took on a different aspect. 

t This victory was disgraced hy an act of heartless cruelty. The Acadians were a 
simple-minded, rural people. They readily gave up their arms and meekly submit- 
ted to thoir conquerors. But the English authorities coveting their rich farms, drove 
old and young on hoard the ships at the point of the bayonet, and distributed them 
among the colonies. Families were broken up, their homes burned, and, poor 
exiles, the broken-hearted Acadians met everywhere only insult and abuse. Long- 
fellow, in his beautiful poem Evangeline, has revived in the present s'^upration a 
warm sympathy for these people, whose misfortunes he has so pathetically re- 
corded. 



86 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1758. 

til red the city after a severe bombardment, and took posses- 
sion of the entire island.* 

3. Crown Point and Ticonderoga. — 1. Battle of Lcike 
George. — About the time of Braddock's expedition, another 
was undertaken against Crown Point. The French under 
Dieskauf (de-es-ko) were met near the head of Lake George.| 
Fortunately, General Johnson, being slightly wounded, early 
in the action retired to his tent, whereupon General Lyman, 
with his provincial troops, regained the battle then nearly lost. 
This victory following closely on the heels of Braddock's dis- 
aster, excited gi^eat joy. Johnson was voted knighthood and 
$25,000. Lyman, the real victor, received nothing. This 
battle ended the attempt to take Crown Point. Johnson 
loitered away the summer in building a fort near by, which 
he called William Henry. § Li the fall he returned to Albany 
and disbanded his troops. 

2. Attack on Ticonderoga. — On a calm Sunday morning, 
about four months before the fall of Fort du Quesne, a thou- 
sand boats full of soldiers, with waving flags and strains of 
martial music, swept down Lake George to attack Ticon- 

* Abandoning Louisburg, the English made Halifax, as it is to-day, their rendez- 
vous in that region. 

t The brave Dieskau vpas severely wounded. In the pursuit, a soldier found him 
leaning against a stump. As he fumbled for his watch to propitiate his enemy, the 
soldier thinking him to be searching for his pistol, shot him. 

X Johnson, the English commander, received word of the approach of the enemy, 
and sent out Colonel Williams with twelve hundred men to stop them. In the skir- 
mish Williams was killed. He was the real founder of Williams College, having by 
his will, made while on his way to battle, bequeathed a certain amount to found a 
free school for Western Massachusetts. 

§ Two years after, Montcalm, the new French general, swept down from Canada 
and captured this fort with its garrison, although Webb was at Fort Edward, four- 
teen miles below, with six thousand men lying idly in camp. The victory is noted 
for an illustration of savage treachery. The English had been guaranteed a safe 
escort to Fort Edward. But they had scarcely left the fort than the Indians fell upon 
them to plunder and to slaughter. In vain did the French oflScers peril their lives to 
save their captives from the lawless tomahawk. " Kill me," cried Montcalm, in des- 
peration, "but spare the English, who are under my protection." But the Indian 
fury was implacable, and the march of the prisoners to Fort Edward became a flight 
for life. 



1758.] EPOCH II. 87 

deroga. General Abercrombie ordered an assault before his 
artillery came up, and while the battle raged lay hid away in 
the rear. A disastrous repulse was the result.* 

3. Capture of both Forts. — The next year (1759), at the 
approach of General Amherst with a large army, both Ticon- 
dcroga and Crown Point were evacuated. 

4. Niagara. — 1. About the time of Braddock's expedi- 
tion General Shirley marched to capture Niagara. But 
reaching Oswego and learning of that disastrous defeat, he 
was discouraged. He simply built a fort and came home.f 

2. Nothmg further was done toward the capture of this im- 
portant fort for four years, when it was invested by General 
Prideaux| (pre-do). In spite of desperate attempts made to 
relieve the garrison, it was at last compelled to surrender 
(1759). New York was thus extended to Niagara Eivcr, and 
the West was secured to the English. 

5. Quebec (1759). — The same summer in which Niagara, 
Crown Point, and Ticonderoga § were occupied by the English, 
General Wolfe anchored with a large fleet and eight thousand 
land troops in front of Quebec. Opposed to him was the 
vigilant Erench General Montcalm, with a command equal to 
his own. The Enghsh cannon easily destroyed the lower city, 
next the river, but the citadel, being on higher ground, was 



* While the main army was delaying after this failure, Colonel Bradstreet obtained 
permission to go against Fort Frontenac, on the present site of Kingston. Crossing 
the lake he captured the fort and a large quantity of stores intended for Fort du 
Quesne. The loss disheartened the garrison of the latter place, frightened off their 
Indian allies, and did much to cause its evacuation on the approach of the 
; English. 

t The next year that indefatigable general, Montcalm, crossed the lake from 
Canada and captured this fort with its garrison and a lai-ge amount of public 
Btores. 

X H^ was accidentally killed during the siege, but his successor, Johnson, satisfac- 
torily carried out his plans. 

§ It was expected that the two armies engaged in the capture of these forts would 
join Wolfe in the attack on Quebec ; but for various reasons they made no attempt to 
do 80, and Wolfe was left to perform his task alone. 



88 



ujnited states history. 



[1759. 




QUEBEC IN EARLY TIMES. 

fur out of their reach. The bank of the river, for miles a 
high craggy wall, bristled with cannon at CA^ery landing-place. 
For months he lingered before the city vainly seeking some 
feasible point of attack. Carefully reconnoitering the preci]D- 
itous bluff above the city, his sharp eyes at length discovered a 
narrow path winding among the rocks to the toj). He deter- 
mined to lead his army up this ascent* Dropping silently 
down by night with the tide, his men landed, clambered up 



* General Wolfe was a great admirer of the poet Gray. As he went the rounds for 
final inspection on the beautiful starlight evening before the attack, he remarked to 
those in the boat with him, " I would rather be the author of that poem— the Elegy 
in a Country Churchyard— than to have the glory of beating the French to-morrow ;" 
and amid the rippling of the water and the dashing of the oars he repeated^ 

" The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
Await alike the inevitable hour : 
The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 



1759.] EPOCH II. 89 

the steep cliff, '•' quickly dispersed the guard, and at day-break 
he stood with his entire army drawn up in order of battle on 
the Plains of Abraham. Montcalm, astonished at the audac- 
ity of the attempt, could scarcely beheve it possible. When 
convinced of its truth he at once made an impetuous attack. 
Wolfe's yeterans held their fire until the French were close at 
hand, then poured upon them rapid, steady volleys. The 
enemy soon wavered. Wohe, placing himself at the head, 
now ordered a bayonet charge. Already twice wounded, he 
still pushed forward. A third ball struck him. He was car- 
ried to the rear. " They run ! They run !" exclaimed the 
officer on whom he leaned. " Who run ?" he faintly gasped. 
" The French," was the reply. " Now God be praised, I die 
happy," murmured the expiring hero. Montcalm, too, w^as 
fatally wounded as he was vainly trying to rally the fugitives. 
On being told by the surgeon that he could not live more 
than twelve hours, he answered, " So much the better. I shall 
not see the surrender of Quebec." 

Five days afterward (September 18, 1759,) the city and gar- 
rison capitulated. 

Close of the War-f Peace. — The next year an at- 
tempt was made to re-capture Quebec. But a powerful fleet 
arrived from England in time to raise the siege. A large 
army marched upon Montreal. Soon Canada submitted. 
The English flag now w^aved over all the continent, from the 
Arctic Ocean to the Mississippi. Peace was made at Paris in 
1763. Spain ceded Florida to England. France gave up all 



* Although Wolfe rose from a sick bed to lead his troops, he was the first man to 
land. The shore was lined with French sentinels. A captain who understood 
French and had been assicrned this duty, answered the challenge of the sentinel near 
tlie landing, and thus warded off the first danger of alarm. 

+ The five points which were especially sought by the English were now all cap- 
tured. Canada itself, worn out, impoverished, and almost in famine, because of the 
long war, was ready for peace. 



90 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1763. 

the territory east of the Mississippi, except two small islands 
south of Newfoundland, retained as fishing stations. New 
Orleans, and all the country she owned west of the Missis- 
sippi, France ceded to Spain. 

Pontiac's War. — The French traders and missionaries 
had won the hearts of the Indians. When the more 
haughty English came to take possession of the western forts, 
great discontent was roused. Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawas, 
Philip-lik''., formed a confederation of the tribes against the 
common foe. It was secretly agreed to fall at once upon aU 
the British posts. Eight forts were thus surprised and cap- 
tured.* Thousands of persons fled from their homes to avoid 
iha scalping knife. At last the Indians, disagreeing among 
themselves, deserted the alhance, and a treaty was signed. 
Pontiac, still revengeful, fled to the hunting-grounds of the 
Illinois. Here he was stabbed by a Peorian Indian, while 
endeavoring to incite another attack. 

Effects of the French and Indian War. — In this 
war the colonists spent $16,000,000, and England repaid only 
$5,000,000. They lost thirty thousand men. They sufiered 
the untold horrors of Indian barbarity. The taxes were 
sometimes equal to two-thirds the income of the tax-payer; 
yet they were levied by their own representatives, and they 



* Varions stratagems were employed to accomplish their designa. At Maumee, a 
squaw lured forth the commander by imploring aid for an Indian woman dying outside 
the fort. Once without, he was at the mercy of the ambushed savages. At Macki- 
naw hundreds of Indians had gathered. Commencing a game at ball, one party 
drove the other, as if by accident, toward the fort. The soldiers were attracted to 
watch the game. At length the ball was thrown over the pickets, and the Indians 
jumping after it, began the terrible butchery. The commander, Major Henry, writ- 
ing in his room, heard the war-cry and the shrieks of the victims, and rushing to his 
window beheld the savage work of the tomahawk and the scalping-knife. Amid un- 
told perils he himself escaped. At Detroit, the plot was betrayed by a squaw, and 
when the chiefs were admitted to their proposed council for " brightening the chain 
of friendship," they found themselves surrounded by an armed garrison. Pontiac 
was allowed to escape. Two days after he commenced a siege which lasted several 
months. 



1763.] EPOCH II. 91 

did not murmur. The men of different colonies and diverse 
ideas fought shoulder to shoulder, and many sectional jeal- 
ousies were allayed. They learned to think and act independ- 
ently of the mother country. Thus they came to know their 
strength. Democratic ideas had taken root, legislative bodies 
had been called, troops raised and supplies voted, not by Eng- 
land, but by themselves. They had become fond of liberty. 
They knew their rights and dared maintain them. When 
they voted money they kept the purse in their own hands. 

The treatment of the British officers helped also to unite 
the colonists. They made sport of the awkward provincial 
soldiers. The best American officers were often thrust aside 
to make place for young British subalterns. But, in spite of 
sneers. Washing-ton, Gates, Montgomery, Stark, Arnold, Mor- 
gan, Putnam, all received their training, and learned how, 
when the time came, to fight even British regulars. 



CONDITION OF TIJE COLONIES. 

There were now thirteen colonies. They numbered about 
2,000,000 people. The largest cities were Boston and Phila- 
delphia, each containing about eighteen thousand inhabitants. 
Three form^ of government existed — charter, proprietary, 
and royal.* The colonies were now all Protestant. The 
intolerant religious spirit of early days had moderated. 
There had been a gradual assimilation of manners and cus- 
toms. They had, in a word, become Americans. Nine col- 
leges had already been established.f Agriculture was the 

* Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, had charter governments. Mary- 
land and Pennsylvania (with Delaware) were proprietary— that is, their proprietors 
governed them. Georgia, Virginia, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, and 
the Canadas, were directly subject to the crown. (The last three were at first pro- 
prietary, but afterward became royal.) 

t These were Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, Princeton, Columbia (originally 



92 UJ^lTED STATES UISTOEY. [1763. 

main dependence of the people.* Manufactures, even at this 
early period, received much attention at the north. Hats, 
paper, shoes, household furniture, farming utensils, and the 
coarser kinds of cutlery were made to some extent. Cloth 
weaving had been introduced-f Commerce had steadily in- 
creased — principally, however, as coast trade, in consequence of 
the oppressive laws of Great Britain. The daring fishermen 
of New England already pushed their whahng crafts far into 
the icy regions of the north. 

The first printing-press was set up at Cambridge, in 1639. 
Most of the books of this day were collections of sermons. 
The first permanent newspaper. The Boston News Letter, was 
published in 1704. In 1750 there were only seven news- 
papers. The Federal Orrery, the first daily paper, was not 
issued till 1792. There was a public hbrary in New York, 
from which books were loaned at four and a half pence per 
week. The usual mode of ti'avel was on foot or horse- 
back. People journeyed largely by means of coasting sloops. 
The trip from New York to Philadelphia occupied three days 
if the wind was fair. There was a wagon running bi-weekly 
from New York across New Jersey. Conveyances were put 
on in 1766, which made the unprecedented time of two 
days fi'om New York to Philadelphia. They were, therefore, 
termed " flying machines." The first stage route was between 
Providence and Boston, taking two days for the trip. A post- 
oflace system had been effected by the combination of the 



caned King's), Brown, Rutger's (then Queen's), Dartmouth, and Hampden Sidney. 
Educational interests were not fostered by the English government. Only one 
donation was given to found a college in the colonies— that of William and 
Mary, an institution named in honor of these sovereigns. 

* Money was for many years very scarce. In 1G35 musket bullets were made to 
pass in place of farthings, the law providing that not more than twelve should be 
given in one payment. 

+ Most thrifty people, however, wove their own. It is said of Mrs. Washington 
that she kept running sixteen spinning-wheels. 



1763.] 



Epo cn II. 



93 



colonies, which united the whole country.* A mail was 
started in 1C72, between New York and Boston, by way of 
Hartford. By contract the round trip was to be made 
monthly. 




OLU-FASHIONED '' STAGE WAGON, 



Manners and Customs. — 1. The New England people 
were strict in morals.t All conduct was shaped by a hteral 
interpretation of the Scriptures. Simphcity of manners and 
hving was carefully inculcated. At fii'st the ministers had 
almost entire control. A church reproof was the heaviest 
punishment, and knotty points in theology caused the bitter- 
est discussion. A pillion was the grandest equipage, and a 
plain blue and white gown, with primly starched apron, was 
the common attire of the New England dames. 



* Benjamin Franklin was one of the early postmasters-general. He made a grand 
tour of the country in his chaise, perfecting and maturing the plan. His daughter 
Sally accompanied him, riding sometimes by his side in the chaise, and sometimes 
on the extra horse which he had with him. It took five months to make the rounds 
which could now be performed in as many days. 

t Governor Winthrop prohibited cards and gaming tables. A man was whipped 
for shooting fowl on Sunday. No man was allowed to keep tavern who did not 
bear an excellent character and possess property. The names of drunkards were 
posted up in the ale-houses, and the keepers forbidden to sell them liquor. By order of 
the colony of Connecticut, no person under twenty years of age could use any 
tobacco without a physician's order ; and no one was allowed to use it oftener than 
once a day, and then not within ten miles of any house. 

Articles of dress were also limited or regulated by law. No person whose estate 
did not exceed £200, could wear " gold or silver lace, or any lace above 2s. per 
yard." The " selectmen " were required to take note of the " apparel " of the peo- 
ple, especially their " ribbands and great boots." Only the gentility, including min- 
isters and their wives, received the prefix Mr. or Mrs. to their names. Others, above 
servitude, were called Goodman and Goodvnfe. 



94 UN'ITED STATES HISTOKY. [1763. 

2. TJie Middle Colonies. — In New York the people partook 
largely of Dutch habits * Laws of morality were rigidly en- 
forced, as in Xew England. Furniture and equipages were 
extremely simple. Carpets were hardly known before 1750, 
and each housekeeper prided herself on the purity of her 
white-sanded floor. 

3. The Southern Colonies differed widely from the northern 
in habits and style of living. In place of thickly settled 
towns and villages, they had large plantations, and were sur- 
rounded by a numerous household of servants. An estate in 
those days was a little empire. The planter had among his 
slaves men of every trade. The mansion-house was large, and 
fitted to the free-hearted, open-handed hospitahty of its owner. 
The negro quarters formed a hamlet apart, with its gardens 
and poultry yards. There were large sheds for curing to- 
bacco, and miUs for gi^nding corn and wheat. Everything 
necessary for ordinary use was produced on the plantation. 
Their tobacco was put up by their own negroes, and con- 
signed direct to England. The flour of the Mount Vernon 
estate was packed under the eye of Washington himself, and 
we are told that barrels of flour bearing his brand, passed in 
the West India market without inspection. A style of luxury 
and refinement already prevailed. Services of plate, elegant 
equipages, and liveried servants were not uncommon. Eich 
planters vied with each other in the possession of the finest 
horses. 

Education. — 1. The Eastern Colonies. — IN'ext to their re- 
ligion the Puritans prized education. When Boston was but 



* Many customs inaugurated by them still remain in vogue. Among these is that 
of New Year''s Day visiting, of which General Washington said, " New York will in 
process of years gradually change its ancient customs and manners , but whatever 
changes take place, never forget the cordial observance of New Year's Day." So, 
also, to the Dutch we owe our Christmas visit of Santa Glaus, colored eggs at Easter, 
doughnuts, crullers, and New Year's cookies. 



1636] EPOCH II. 95 

six years old, 12,000 were appropriated to the seminary at 
Cambridge, now known as Harvard University. Some years 
after, each family gave a peck of corn or a shilling in cash for 
its support. Even earlier than this, common schools had been 
pro\dded, and in 1665 eveiy town had a free school, and, 
if it contained over one hundred families, a gi-ammar school.* 
In Connecticut every town that did not keep a school for 
three months in the year was liable to a fine. The " town 
meetings," as they were styled, were of inestimable value in 
cultivating democratic ideas. The young and old, rich and 
poor, here met on a perfect equahty for the discussion of all 
local questions. In Hartford, every jfreeman who neglected to 
attend town meeting was fined sixpence, unless he had a good 
excuse. 

2. TJie Middle Colonies had already their colleges and 
many humbler schools scattered through the towns. Some of 
the New York schools were kept by Dutch masters, who 
taught English as an accomplishment. The Orrery invented 
by Dr. Eittenhouse, in 1768, is still preserved in Princeton Col- 
lege. No European institution had its equal. At Lewiston, 
Del., is said to have been estabhshed the first girls' school in 
the colonies. The first school in Pennsylvania was started 
about 1683, where "reading, writing, and casting accounts" 
were taught, for eight English shillings per annum. Churches 
were established of the various denominations. The Swedes 
had a meeting-house erected even before the landing of Penn. 
Ministers' salaries were met in different ways. In New York 
the Dutch dominie was paid sometimes in wampum. The 



* In 1700, ten ministers, having previously so agreed, brought together a number 
of books, each saying as he laid down his gift, "I ?ive these books for founding a 
college in Connecticut." This was the beginning of \ ale College. It was £rst es- 
tablished at Saybrook, but in 1716 was removed to New Haven. It was named from 
Governor Yale, who befriended it most generously. 



96 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1753. 

dominie of Albany at one time received one hundred and 
fifty beaver skins. 

3. The Southern Colonies met with great difficulties in 
their efforts to establish schools. Though Virginia boasts of 
the second oldest college, yet her English governors bitterly 
opposed the progress of education. Governor Berkeley, of 
whose haughty spirit we have already heard, said, "I thank 
God there are no free schools nor printing-presses here, and I 
hope we shall not have them these hundred years." The 
restrictions upon the press were so great that no newspaper 
was published in Virginia until 1736, and that was controlled 
by the government. Free schools were established in Mary- 
land in 1696, and a free school in Charleston, S. C, in 1712. 
Private schools were early established by the colonists in 
every neighborhood. A farm of one hundred acres was set 
apart by law for each clergyman, and also a portion of the 
'• best and first gathered corn " and tobacco. Absence from 
church was fined.* In Georgia, masters were compelled to 
send their slaves to church, under a penalty of £5. 



,Sumf)imy of the History of the Seco7id £Jpochy m^a9?(/ed 
in Chro7iological Order, 



1607. Jamestown founded by London Company. First perma- 
nent English settlement in America, May 23, 

1609. Virginia received its second charter, June 3, . 

1610. " Starving Time " in Virginia, 
1613. Virginia received its third charter, March 23, 

1613. Pocahontas married Rolfe, April, 
Settlement of New York by the Dutch, . 

1614. Smith explored New England Coast, 

1615. Culture of tobacco commenced in Virginia, . 



46 
48 
48 
49 
49 
65 
53 
50 



* The early laws of Virfjinia were extremely rigid. Disrespect to a minister was 
punished by whipping; absence from church, for first offence, loss of "dayes allow- 
ance " of food, for second offence whipping, and for third offence the galleys for six 
months; for neglect of private or family prayer, the third offence, was death; for 
evil words against the council of the company, the third offence, was death. 



1619.} EPOCH II. 97. 



PAGE 



1619. First Colonial Ass'^mbly, June 28, 49 

1620. Slavery introduced in English colonies at Jamestown, 50 
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. First permanent English 

settlement in New England, December 21, . . . 53 

1622. Indian massacre in Virginia, March 22, . . . .51 
New Hampshire granted to Gorges and Mason, Aug. 10, 60 

1623. New Hampshire settled at Dover and Portsmouth, . 61 

1 629. Charter granted to Massachusetts Bay Colony, March 4, 56 
New patent for New Hampshire granted to Mason, 

November 7, 61 

1630. First house built in Boston, under Governor Winthrop, 

July, 56 

1632. Maryland granted to Lord Baltimore, June 20, . . 72 

1634. Maryland settled at St. Mary's, 72 

1634-6. Connecticut settled at Windsor, Hartford, and Wethers- 

tield, 61 

^1635. Clayborne's rebellion in Virginia and Maryland, . . 73 

1636. Rhode Island settled at Providence, June, ... 64 

1637. Pequod War, 62 

1638. New Haven colony founded, April 18, . . . .63 
Delaware settled near Wilmington by Swedes, April, . 69 

1641. New Hampshire united to Massachusetts, ... 61 

1643. Union of New England colonies. May 29, . . . 57 

1644. Second Indian massacre in Virginia, April 18, . . 51 
Charter granted to Rhode Island. — Providence and 

Rhode Island plantations united, March 14, . . 65 

1655. Civil war in Maryland, 73 

New Sweden conquered by Dutch, October, ... 66 

1660. Navigation Act passed, 51 

1662. Charter granted to Connecticut, April 20, ... 62 

1663. Albemarle Colony formed, March 24, .... 74 

1664. New Netherland conquered by English and called New 

York, September, 66 

New Jersey settled at Elizabethtown, .... 68 

1670. South Carolina settled on Ashley River, ... 74 

1675. King Philip's War, 57 

1676. Bacon's rebellion, April, 52 

1879. New Hampshire made a royal province, .... 61 

1680. Charleston, S. C, founded, 74 

1682. Pennsylvania settled 69 

Delaware granted to William Penn by the Duke of York, 

August 31, 70 

1683. Philadelphia founded by William Penn, February, . 69 



98 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1686. 



1686. Andros arrived in Boston as governor of New England, 

December 20, 59 

1689. King William's war, 77 

Andros seized and sent to England, .... 59 

1690. Schenectady burned hy Indians and French, . . 78 
1692. Salem witchcraft, 60 

Massachusetts received a new charter, under Phipps, Gov. 59 

1697. Peace of Ryswick terminated King William's war, . 78 

1702. Queen Anne's war commenced, 79 

Delaware secured a separate legislative assembly, . 71 
1710. Port Royal, N. S., captured by English and named Anna- 
polis, 79 

1713. Queen Anne's war closed by treaty of Utrecht, . . 80 

1732. Washington born, February 22, 76 

1733. Georgia settled by Oglethorpe at Savannah,F6bruary 12, 76 

1739. The Spanish War began, 80 

1744. King George's war began, 80 

^ 1745. Louisburg captured by English, June 17, ... 80 

1748. King George's war ended by treaty of Aix la Chapelle, 81 

1753. Washington sent with letter by Dinwiddie to St. Pierre, 

October 31, 81 

1754. Battle at Great Meadows, 83 

Fort Necessity captured by French, .... 83 

French driven from Acadia, June, 85 

1755. Braddock defeated in battle of Monongahela, July 9, . 84 
British defeated Dieskau at Lake George, September 8, . 86 

1756. War first foi-mally declared between English and 

French, May 17, 83 

French under Montcalm captured Fort Oswego, Aug. 14, 87 

1757. Fort William Henry surrendered to Montcalm, Aug. 9, 86 

1758. Abercrombie repulsed at Fort Ticonderoga, July 8, . . 8V 
Louisburg taken by Amherst and Wolfe, July 26, . . 86 
Fort Frontenac captured by colonists, August 27, . . 87 
Fort du Quesne taken by English, November 25, . . 85 

1759. Ticonderoga and Crown Point abandoned by French, . 87 
Niagara surrendered to English, July 25, ... 87 
Battle of Plains of Abraham, September 13, 
Quebec surrendered, September 18, 

1760. Montreal surrendered to English, September 8, . .89 
Pontiac's war, , . 90 

1763. Peace of Paris, ...... .80 



Tp REVOLUTIONARY WJ^R 




From 1775— the Breaking out of the War, 
To 1787— the Adoption of the Constitution. 



Causes of the J^JT^ericaij Revolutioij. 

EMOTE Causes. — England treated 
the settlers as an inferior class of peo- 
ple. Her intention was to make and 
keep the colonies dependent. The 
laws were all framed to favor the Eng- 
lish manufactnrer and merchant at the 
expense of the colonist. The Naviga- 
tion Acts compelled the American far- 
mer to send all his products across 
the ocean to England, and to buy all his goods in Brit- 
ish markets. American manufactures were prohibited. Iron 



QuesHons on ike Geof/t'aphy of tfie Third ^jjocA .—Locate Boston. 
Portsmouth. Newport. Philadelphia. Salem. Concord. Lexington. Whitehall. 
Cambridge. New London. Charleston. Charlestown. Brooklyn. New York, 
White Plains. North Castle. Tarrytown. Baskingridge. Trenton. Princeton. 
Germantown. Saratoga. Albany. Oriskany. Bennington. Yorktown. Mon- 
mouth. Wilkesbarre. Savannah. Augusta. Norfolk. Norwalk. Fairfield. New 
Haven. Elmira. Camden. Hanging Rock. Cowpens. Guilford Court House. 
Wilmington. Eutaw Springs. 

Locate Crown Point. Fort Ticonderoga. Fort Edward. Fort Griswold. Fort 
Moultrie. Fort Washington. West Point. Fort Stanwix. Stony Point. Fort Lee. 
Fort Mifflin. Fort Mercer. 

Describe the Brandywine Creek. Mohawk River. Waxhaw Creek. Catawba 
River. Yadkin River. Dan River. Delaware River. 

Locate Breed's Hill. Bunker Hill. Dorchester Heights. Harlem Heights. Mor- 
ristown Heights. King's Mountain. Bemis's Heights. Wyoming Valley. 



LOF(X 



102 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1660. 

works were denounced as ^•common nuisances/' William 
Pitt, tlie friend of America, declared tliat '• she had no right 
to manufacture even a nail for a horseshoe." * 

Though this course had tended to alienate the feehngs of 
the colonists, yet there remained a warm veneration for the 
mother country, and England Avas still spoken of as "home." 
But events rapidly hurried on to a sundering of all such ties. 
Parliament seemed almost reckless. Heavy dehts had been 
in^-uiTed in the late war, and it was determined, with true 
John Bull obstinacy, to subdue the high-headed colonists and 
make them pay the bills. 

Writs of Assistance were waiTants authorizing the 
king's officers to search for smuggled goods. With such a 
pretext any petty cur>tom-house official could enter a man's 
house or store at his pleasure. The colonists believed that 
"every man's house is his castle," and resisted such power as a 
violation of theu' rights-f 

The Stamp Act (1765), which ordered that stamps 
bought of the British government, should be put on all legal 
documents, newspapers, pamphlets, &c., thorouglily aroused 
the colonists.;|; The houses of British officials were mobbed. 
Prominent loyalists were hung in effigy. Stamps were seized. 



* Even the exportation of hats from one colony to another was prohibited, and no 
hatter was allowed to have more than two apprentices at one time. The importation 
of sugar, mm, and molasses, Avas burdened with exorbitant duties ; and the Caro- 
linians were forbidden to cut down the pine-trees of their vast forests, in order to 
convert the wood into staves, or the juice into turpentine and tar, for commercial 
purposes. 

+ The matter was brought before a general court, held in Boston, where James 
Otis, advocate-general, coming out boldly on the side of the people, exclaimed, "To 
my dying day I will opporo, with all the power? and faculties God has given me, all 
such instruments of slavery on the one hand and villainy on the other." " Then and 
there," said John Adams, who was present, " the trumpet of the Revolution was 
sounded." 

$ The assembly of Virginia was the first to make public opposition to this odious 
Ieaa. Patrick Renry, a youncr Invyer, introduced a resolution denjing the right of 
Parliament to tax America. He boldly asserted that the king had played the tjTant; 
and, alluding to the fate of other tyrants, exclaimed, " Csesar had his Brutus, Charles I, 



1765.] EPOCH III. 103 

The agents were forced to resign. People agreed not to use 
any article of British manufactuie.* Associations, called the 
" Sons of Liberty,"! were formed to resist the law. Dele- 
gates from nine of the colonies met at New York and framed 
a Declaration of Rights, and a petition to the king and Parlia- 
ment. The 1st of November, appointed for the law to go 
into effect, was observed as a day of mourning. Bells were 
tolled, flags raised at half-mast, and business was suspended. J; 
Samuel and John Adams, Patrick Henry, and James Oik, 
aroused the people over the whole land by their stimng and 
patriotic speeches. 

Frightened by these demonstrations, the Enghsh govern- 
ment, the next year, repealed the Stamp Act, but still declared 
its right to inflict taxation on the colonies. Soon new taxes 
were imposed on tea, glass, paper, &c. A Board of Trade 
was estabhshed at Boston, to act independently of the colonial 
assemblies. 
^ Mutiny Act. — Anticipating bitter opposition, troops were 



his Cromwell, and George III."— here pausing till the cry of " Treason 1 Treason 1'' 
from several parts of the house had ended, he deliberately added— " may profit by 
their examples. If this be treason, make the most of it." 

* The newspapers of the day mention many wealthy people who conformed to this 
agreement. On one occasion forty or fifty young ladies, who called themselves 
" Daughters of Liberty," brought their spinning-wheels to the house of Kev. Mr. 
Morehead, in Boston, and during the day spun two hundred and thirty-two skeins 
of yam, which they presented to their pastor. " Within eighteen months," wrote a 
gentleman at Newport, R. I,, " four hundred and eighty-seven yards of cloth and thirty- 
six pairs of stockings have been spun and knit in the family of James Nixon of this 
town." In Newport and Boston the ladies, at their tea-drinkings, used, instead of 
imported tea, the dried leaves of the raspberry. They called this substitute Hy- 
perion. The class of 1770, at Cambridge, took their diplomas in homespun suits. 

+ This name was assumed from the celebrated speech of Barre on the Stamp Act, 
in which, in his reply to the ministry, he spoke of the colonists as "sons of lib- 
erty." 

t At Portsmouth, N. H., a coflSn inscribed "Liberty, aged CXLV years," was 
borne to an open grave. With muffled drums and solemn tread, the procession moved 
from the State House. Minute gims were fired till the grave was reached, when a 
funeral oration was pronounced and the coffin lowered. Suddenly it was proclaimed 
that there were signs of life. The coffin was raised. A new inscription, '" Liberty 
Revived," was appended- Bells rung, trumpets sounded, men shouted, and a jubilee 
ensued. 



104 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1768. 

sent to enforce the laws. The "Mutiny Act/' as it was called, 
ordered that the colonies should provide these soldiers with 
quarters and necessary supplies. This evident attempt to 
enslave the Americans aroused huriJng indignation. To he 
taxed was had enough, hut to shelter and feed their oppressors 
was unendurable. The New York assembly, having refused 
to comply, was forbidden to pass any legislative acts. The 
Massachusetts assembly sent a circular to the other colonies 
urging a union for redress of grievances. Parliament, in the 
name of the king, ordered the assembly to rescind its action. 
It almost unanimously refused. In the meantime the assem- 
blies of nearly all the colonies had declared that Parliament had 
no right to tax them without their consent. Hereupon they 
were warned not to imitate the disobedient conduct of 
Massachusetts. • 

V.Boston Massacre. — Boston being considered the hot-bed 
of the rebelhon. General Gage was sent thither with two 
regiments of troops. They entered on a quiet Sabbath morn- 
ing, and marched as through a conquered city, with drums 
beating and flags flying. Quarters being refused, they took 
possession of the State House. The Common was soon 
crowded with tents. Cannon were planted, sentries posted, and 
citizens challenged. Frequent quarrels took place between 
the people and the soldiers. One day (March 5, 1770) a 
crowd of men and boys, maddened by its presence, insulted 
the city guard. A fight ensued. T\^'0 citizens w^ere wounded 
and three killed. The bells were rung. The country people 
rushed in to the help of the city. The soldiers were compelled 
to flee to Castle William to avoid the rage of the populace.* 
Boston Tea Party (Dec. 16, 1773).— The government, 



* The soldiers were tried for murder. John Adams and Josiah Quincy, who stood 
foremost in opposition to British aggression, defended them. All were acquitted 
except two, who were found guilty of manslaughter. 



1773.] 



EPOCH III. 



105 



alarmed by the turn events had taken, rescinded the taxes, 
except that on tea — which was left to maintain the principle. 
An arrangement was made whereby tea was furnished at so 
low a price that with the tax included it was cheaper in 
America than in England. 
This subterfuge exasperated 
the patriots. They were fight- 
ing for a gi'eat principle, not a 
paltry tax. At Charleston the 
tea was stored in damp cellars 
where it soon spoiled. The 
tea-ships at New York and 
Philadelphia were sent home. 
The British authorities refused 
to let the tea-ships at Boston 
return. Upon this an immense 
public meeting was held at Faneuil Hall,* and it was decided 
that the tea should never be brought ashore. A party of men, 
disguised as Indians, boarded the vessels and emptied three 
hundred and forty-two chests of tea into the water.f 

The Climax Reached, — Ketaliatory measures were at 
once adopted by the English government.^; General Gage 
was appointed governor of Massachusetts. The port of 
Boston being closed § by act of Parliament, business was 




FANEUIL HALL. 



* Faneuil Hall was the rendezvous of the Revolutionary spirits of that time— hence 
it has been called the " Cradle of Liberty." 

t On their way home the party passed a house at which Admiral Montague was 
spending the evening. The officer raised the window and cried out, " Well, boys, 
you've had a fine night for your Indian caper. But, mind, you've got to pay the 
fiddler yet." "Oh, never mind," replied one of the leaders, " never mind, squire! 
Just come out here, if you please, and we'll settle the bill in two minutes." The 
admiral thought it best to let the bill stand, and quickly shut the M'indow. 

t The public fueling in England was generally against the colonies, "Every 
man," wrote Dr. Franklin, "seems to consider .himself as a piece of a sovereign 
over America ; seems to jostle himself into the throne with the king, and talks of our 
subjects in the colonies." 

§ The merchants of Salem, refusing to profit by the ruin of their rival, oftered the 



lOG UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1774 

stopped and distress ensued. The Virginia assembly pro- 
tested against this measure, and was dissolved by the governor. 
Party lines were drawn. Those opposed to royalty were 
termed Whigs, and those supporting it, Tories. Everywhere 
were repeated the thrilling words of Patrick Henry, "Give 
me liberty or give me death." Companies of soldiers, termed 
"Minute men," were formed. The idea of a continental 
union became popular. Gage, being alarmed, fortified Boston 
Neck, and seized powder wherever he could find it. A rumor 
haAdng been circulated that the British ships were firing on 
Boston, in two days thirty thousand minute men were on 
their way to the city. A spark only was needed to kindle the 
slumbering hatred into the flames of war. 
j^ The First Continental Congress (Sept. 5, 1774) was 
held in Philadelphia. It consisted of men of influence, and 
represented eveiy colony except Georgia. As yet few mem- 
bers had any idea of independence. The Congress simply 
voted that obedience was not due to any of the recent acts of 
Parliament, and sustained Massachusetts in her resistance. It 
issued a protest against standing armies being kept in the 
colonies without consent of the people, and agreed to hold no 
intercourse with Great Britain. 



1775. 



Battle of Lexington (April 19). — General Gage, learning 
that the people were gathering mihtary stores at Concord, 
sent eight hundred men under Col. Smith and Major Pitcairn 
to destroy them. The patriots of Boston, however, were on the 



use of their wharveet to the Boston merchants. Aid and sympathy were received 
from all sides. Schoharie, N. Y., sent five hundred and twenty-five hushels of wheat. 



1775.] 



EPOCH III. 



107 



alert, and hurried out messengers to alarm the country* 
AVlien the red-coats, as the British soldiers were called, reached 
Lexington, they found a company of minute men gathering 




PUTNAM SUMMONED TO WAR. 



on the village green. Riding up, Pitcairn shouted, " Disperse, 
you rebels ; lay down your arms ! " They hesitated. A skir- 
mish ensued, in which seven Americans — the first martyrs of 
the Revolution — were killed. 

The British pushed on and destroyed the stores. But 
alarmed by the gathering militia they hastily retreated. It 
w^as none too soon. The whole region flew to arms. Every 
boy old enough to use a rifle hurried to avenge the death of 
his countrymen. From behind trees, fences, buildings, and 

* A lantern was hung up in the steeple of the North Church. Its light was seen in 
Charlestown, and tmsty messengers at once set out. 



108 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1775. 

rocks, in front, flank and rear, so galling a fire was poured, 
that but for reinforcements from Boston, none of the British 
would have reached the city ahve. As it was, they lost nearly 
three hundred men. 

Effects of tlie Battle, — The news that American blood 
had been spilled flew hke wild fire. Patriots came pouring in 
from all sides. Putnam* left his cattle yoked in the field, and 
without changing his working clothes, mounted his fastest 
horse, and hurried to Boston. 

Soon twenty thousand men were at work throwing up 
intrenchments to shut up the British in the city. Congresses 
were formed in all the colonies. Committees of safety were 
appointed to call out the troops an"d provide for any emer- 
gency. The power of the royal governors was broken from 
Massachusetts to Georgia. 

Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17). — Colonel Prescott 
assembled a body of men at Cambridge, from whence, after a 
prayer by the president of Harvard College, they noiselessly 
moved to Charlestown Neck. They had been ordered to 
fortify Bunker Hill, but, on a hasty consultation, they pre- 
ferred Breed's Hill, as more commanding. It was bright 
moonlight, and they were so near Boston that the sentinel's 
" All's well," was distinctly heard. Yet so quietly did they 



* Israel Pntuam, familiarly known as " Old Put," r^as born in Salem, Mass., 1718. 
Many stories are told of his great courage and presence of mind. His descent into the 
wolfs den, shooting the animal by the light of her own glaring eyes, showed his 
love of bold adventure ; his noble generosity was displayed in the rescue of a comrade 
scout at Crown Point, at the imminent peril of his own life. He came out of one 
encounter with fourteen bullet holes in his blanket. In 1756 a party of Indians took 
him prisoner, bound him to a stake, and made ready to torture him with fire. The 
flames were already scorching his limbs, and death seemed certain, when a French 
oflBcer burst through the crowd and saved his life. At Fort Edward, when all others 
fled away, he alone fought back the fire from a magazine in which were stored three 
hundred barrels of gunpowder, protected only by a thin partition. "His face, his 
hands, and almost his whole body, were blistered ; and in removing the mittens from 
his hands, the skin was torn off with them." The British offered him money and 
the rank of major-general if he would desert the American cause ; but he could 
neither be daunted by toil and danger, nor bribed by gold and honors. 



1775.] 



EPOCH III. 



109 



work that there was no alarm. At dayUght the British 
officers were startled by seeing the redoubt which had been 
constructed. Resolved to drive the Americans from their 



^m^- 






c 




THE PRAYER BEFORE THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 



position, Howe crossed the river with three thousand men, and 
formed them at the landing. They slowly ascended the hiil. 
The roofs and steeples of Boston were crowded with specta- 
tors, intently w^atching the scene. The patriot ranks lay 
quietly behind their earthworks until the red-coats were 
within ten rods, when Prescott shouted " Fire !" A blaze of 
light shot from the redoubt. Whole platoons of the British 
fell. The survivors, unable to endure the terrible slaughter, 
broke and fled. They were ralHed under cover of the smoke 
of Charlcstown, which had been wantonly fired by Gage. 



110 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1775. 

Again they were met by that deadly discharge, and again they 
fled. Reinforcements being received, the third time they 
advanced. Only one volley smote them, and then the firing 
ceased. The American ammunition was exhausted. The 
British charged over the ramparts with fixed bayonets. The 
patriots gallantly resisted with clubbed muskets, but were 
soon driven from the field.* 

Tlie effect upon the Americans of this first regular battle 
was that of a victory. Their untrained farmer soldiers had 
put to flight the British veterans. All felt encouraged, and 
the determination to fight for liberty was intensified. 

Capture of Ticonderoga (May 10).— Ethan Allenf and 
Benedict Arnold led a small company of volunteers to sur- 
prise this fortress. As Allen rushed into the sally-port, a senti- 



* General Warren was among the last to leave. As he was trying to rally the 
troops, a British officer who knew him, seized a musket and shot him. Warren had 
just received his commission as major-general, but had crossed Charlestown Neck in 
the midst of flying balls, reached the redoubt, and offered himself as a voUmteer. 
He was buried near the spot where he fell. By his death America lost one of her 
truest sons. Gage is reported to have said that his fall was worth that of five 
hundred ordinary rebels. Mrs. Adams wrote, "Not all the havoc and devastation 
they have made has moved me like the death of Warren. We want him in the 
senate; we want him in the profession; we want him in the field. We mourn for 
the citizen, the physician, the senator, the warrior." 

t Etlian Allen was a native of Connecticut. With several of his brothers he emi- 
grated to what is now known as Vermont. At that time a dispute had arisen be- 
tween the colony of New York, on one hand, and the colonies of New Hampshire, 
Massachusetts, and Connecticut, on the other, with reference to the territory. The 
governor of New Hampshire, regardless of the claims of New York, issued grants of 
land so extensively that the region became known as the New Hampslilre grants. 
New York, however, having obtained a favorable decision of the court, endeavored 
to eject the occupants of the land. Ethan Allen became conspicuous in the resist- 
ance that ensued. The " Green Mountain Boys " made him their colonel, and he 
kept a watchful eye on the officers from New York, who sought by form of law to 
dispossess the settlers of farms which had been bought, paid for, and made valuable 
by their own labor. The Revolutionary War caused a lull in these hostilities, and 
the Green Mountain Boys turned their arms upon the common enemy. Allen after- 
ward aided Montgomery in his Canadian expedition, but, in a fool-hardy attempt upon 
Montreal, was taken prisoner and sent to England in irons. After a long captivity he 
was released, and returned to his home. Generous and frank, a strong and vigorous 
writer, loyal to his country and true to his friends, he exerted a powerful influence 
on the early history of Vermont. To no one is that State more indebted for her in- 
dependence than to Ethan Allen, whose patriotism did much to atone for his rough- 
ness of manner and skepticism in religion. 



^775.] ' EPOCH III, 111 

nel snapped his gun at him and fled. Making his way to the 
commander's quarters, Allen, in a Yoice of thunder, ordered 
him to surrender. "By whose authority?" exclaimed the 
frightened officer. " In the name of the Great Jehovah and 
the Continental Congress !" shouted Allen. No resistance was 
attempted. Large stores of cannon and ammunition, just 
then so much needed hy the troops at Boston, fell into the 
hands of the Americans, without the loss of a single man. 
Crown Point was soon after as easily taken. 

The Second Continental Congress (May 10) met at 
Philadelphia in the midst of these stirring events. It voted 
to raise twenty thousand men, and appointed General Wash- 
ington commander-in-chief It also prepared a petition to the 
king, which he refused to receive. This destroyed all hope of 
reconciliation. 

Condition cf the Army. — On Washington's arrival before 
Boston, he found the army to number but fouriten thousand 
men. Few of them were driUed ; many were unfit for service ; 
some had left their farms at the first impulse, and were already 
weary of the hardships of war; all were badly clothed and 
poorly armed, and there were less than nine cartridges to 
each soldier. Washington at once made every exertion to 
reheve their wants, and in the meantime kept Gage penned 
up in Boston. 

Expedition against Canada. — Late in the summer 
General Montgomery, leading an army by the way of Lake 
Champlain, captured St. John's and Montreal, and then 
appeared before Quebec. Here he was joined by General 
Arnold with a crowd of half-clad, half-famished men, who 
liad ascended the Kennebec and then struck across the wil- 
derness.* 



* It is hard to conceive the hardships which these men endured. Their way was 
through tangled thickets and over pathless mountains. Worn out, cold, sick, and 



112 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1775. 

Attach upon Quebec. — Their united force Tras less than 
one thousand effective men. Having besieged the city foi 
three weeks it was at last decided to hazard an assault. In the 
midst of a terrible snow-storm they led their forces to the 
attack. Montgomery advancing along the river, lifting with 
his own hands at the huge blocks of ice, and struggling 
through the drifts, cheered on his men. As they rushed 
forward a rude blockhouse appeared through the blinding 
snowT Charging upon it he fell at the first fire. . His fol- 
lowers, disheartened, fled. Arnold, in the meantime, ap- 
proached the opposite side of the city. While bravely 
fighting he was severely wounded and borne to the rear. 
Morgan, his successor, pressed on the attack, but at last, 
unable to retreat or advance against the tremendous odds, 
was forced to surrender. The remnant of the army, crouch- 
ing behind mounds of snow and ice, maintained a blockade of 
the city until spring. At the approach of British reinforce- 
ments the Americans were glad to escape, leaving all Canada 
in the hands of England. 



1776. 

Evacuation of Boston (March 17). — Washington, in 
order to force the British to fight or run, sent a force to fortify 
Dorchester Heights by night. In the morning the English 
were once more astonished by seeing entrenchments which 
overlooked the city. A storm prevented an immediate attack ; 
a delay which was well improved by the provincials. General 

disheaitened, they still pressed forward. The last ox was killed and eaten ; the last 
dog was taken for food, and their only resource against starvation was roots and 
moose skin moccasins. For two days they ate nothing. Morgan, Greene, Meigs 
and Aaron Burr, were of this brave band. 



1776.] EPOCH III. 113 

Howe, who was then in command, remembering the lesson 
of Bunker Hill, decided to leave, and accordingly set sail with 
his army, fleet, and many loyalists. The next day Washington 
entered amid great rejoicing. For eleven months the inhabi- 
tants had endured the horrors of a siege and the insolence of 
the enemy.* Their houses had been pillaged, their shops 
rifled, and their churches profaned. 

Attack on Fort Moultrie (June 28).— Early in the 
summer a fleet appeared off Charleston Harbor, and opened 
fire on Fort Moultrie, f So fearful was the response from 
Moultrie's guns, that at one time every man but Admiral 
Parker was swept from the deck of his vessel. General 
Clinton, who commanded the British land troops, tried to 
attack the fort in the rear, but the fire of the southern rifle- 
men was too severe. The fleet was at last so badly shattered 
that it withdrew and sailed for New York. This victory 
gave the colonists great delight, as it was their first encounter 
with the boasted '' Mistress of the Seas." 



* The boys of Boston were wont to amuse themselves in winter by building snow- 
houses and by skating on a pond in the Common. The soldiei's having disturbed 
them in their sports, complaints were made to the inferior officers, who only ridi- 
culed their petition. At last a number of the largest boys waited on General Gage. 
" What 1'' said Gage, " have your fathers sent you here to exhibit the rebellion they 
have been teaching you?" "Nobody sent us," answered the leader with flashing 
eye, "we have never injured your troops, but they have trampled down our snow- 
hills and broken the ice of our skating-pond. We complained, and they called us 
young rebels, and told us to help ourselves if we could. We told the captain, and he 
laughed at us. Yesterday our works were destroyed for the third time, and we will 
bear it no longer." The British commander coukl not restrain his admiration. 
" The very children," said he, "draw in a love of liberty with the air they breathe. 
Go, my brave boys, and be assured, if my troops trouble you again, they shall be 
punished." 

t This fort was built of palmetto logs, which are so soft that balls sink into them 
without splitting the wood. Here floated the first republican flag in the South. In 
the early part of the action the stafl'was struck by a ball, and the flag fell outside the 
fort. Sergeant Jasper leaped over the breastwork, caught up the flag, and springing 
back tied it to a sponge stafl' (an instrument for cleaning cannon after a discharge), 
and hoisted it again to its place. The next day Governor Rutledge ofl'ered him a 
sword and a lieutenant's commission. He refused, saying, " I am not fit for the com- 
pany of officers ; I am only a sergeant." 



11-i UNITED STATES HISTORY. [177a 

Declaration of Independence (Jnlj^ 4, 1776). — During 
the session of Congress this summer, Eichard Henry Lee, of 
Virginia, moved that '^TJie United Colonies are, and ongltt to 
ae, free and independent states^ This was passed by a 
majority of one colony. A committee was appointed to 
draw up a Declaration of Independence.* At two 
o'clock on the fourth of July, their report was adopted.f 

Campaign near Ne-w York. — General Howe, afcer 
evacuating Boston, went to Halifax, and soon after set sail for 
New York. Thither also came Admiral Howe,]; his brother, 
with reinforcements, from England, and also Chnton from 
the defeat at Fort Moultrie. The British army was thirty 
thousand strong. Washington, divining Howe's plans, now 
gathered all his forces at New York to protect that city. 
He had, however, only about seven thousand men fit for duty. 

Battle of Long Island (Aug. 27).— The British army 
landed on the southwest shore of Long Island. General Put- 



* Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert 
R. Livingston, composed this committee. 

+ During the day the streets of Philadelphia were crowded with people anxious to 
leara the decision. In the steeple of the old State House was a bell which, by a 
happy coincidence, was inscribed " Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all 
the inhabitants thereof." In the morning, when Congress assembled, the bell-ringer 
went to his post, placing his boy below to announce when the Declaration was 
adopted, that his bell might be the first to peal forth the glad tidings. Long he 
waited, while the deliberations went on. Impatiently the old man shook his head 
and repeated, " They will never do it I Thoy will never do it !" Suddenly he heard 
his boy clapping his hands and shouting, "Ringl Ring!" Grasping the iron 
tongue he swung it to and fro, proclaiming the glad news of liberty to all the land. 
The crowded streets caught up the sound. Every steeple re-echoed it. All that 
night, by shouts, and illuminations, and booming of cannon, the people declared 
their joy. 

X Parliament authorized the Howes to treat with the insurgents. By proclamation 
they offered pardon to all who would return to their allegiance. This document was 
published by direction of Congress, that the people might sec what England demanded. 
An officer was then sent to the American camp with a letter addressed to "George 
Washington, Esq." Washington refused to receive it. The address was afterward 
changed to *' George Washington, &c , <fcc." The messenger endeavored to show 
that this bore any meaning which might be desired. But Washington understood 
the sophistry and utterly refused any communication which did not distinctly recog- 
\iize his position as commander of the American army. 



1776.] EPOCH III. 115 

nam, with about nine thousand men, held a fort at Brooklyn 
and defences on a range of hills south of the city. The Eng- 
lish advanced in three divisions. Two of these attacked the 
Americans in front, while General Clinton, by a circuitous 
route, gained the rear. The patriots were fighting gallantly, 
when, to their dismay, they heard firing behind them. They 
attempted to escape, but it was too late. Out of five thousand 
men engaged, two thousand were lost* 

Had Howe attacked the fort at Brooklyn immediately, the 
Americans would have been utterly destroyed.- Fortunately 
he delayed for the fleet to arrive. For two days the patriots 
lay helpless, awaiting the assault. On the second night after 
the battle, there was a dense fog on the Brooklyn side, while 
in New York the weather was clear. At midnight the Amer- 
icans moved silently down to the shore and crossed the river.f 
In the morning, when the sun scattered the fog, Howe was 
chagrined to find that his prey had escaped. 

Washington's Retreat. — The British, crossing to New 
York, J; moved to attack Washington, who had taken post on 



* Those who were taken captive were confined in crowded prisons. Nothing 
could exceed the sufferings of these poor victims. Many died in the Sugar House, 
but by far the saddest scenes occurred on the prison ships. These were old hulks 
anchored in the waters around New York. The Jersey was especially noted for the 
cruelty of its officers. From these loathsome places of confinement almost eleven 
thousand bodies were carried out during the war and buried in the sandof the beach. 
In 1808 their remains were re-interred. They now rest in a vault on Hudson avenue, 
Brooklyn. 

t The Americans embarked at a place near the present Fulton Ferry. A Avoman 
sent her negro servant to the British to inform them of the movements of the Ameri- 
cans. He was captured by the Hessians, who were Germans from Hesse Cassel, 
hired to fight by the British government. These, not being able to understand a 
word of English, detained him until the morning. His message was then too late. 

t Washington desiring to gain some knowledge of Howe's movements, Captain 
Nathan Hale visited the camps on Long Island for this purpose. He passed the lines 
safely, but on his way back was recognized by a tory relative, who arrested him. He 
was taken to Howe's headquarters, tried, and executed as a spy. No clergyman was 
allowed to visit him. A Bible even was denied. His farewell letters to his mother 
and sister were destroyed. The brutality of his enemies did not, however, crush his 
noble spirit, for his last words were, " I only regret that I have hut one life to give to 
my country.'" 



IIG UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1776. 

Harlem Heights. Finding the American position too strong^ 
Howe moved up the Sound in order to gain the rear. Wash- 
ington then withdrew to White Plains. Here Howe came 
up and defeated a part of his army. Washington then with- 
drew into a fortified camp at North Castle. Howe, not daring 
to attack him here, returned to New York and sent the 
Hessians to take Fort Washington, which they captured after 
a fierce resistance. The Americans now retreated mto New 
Jersey, to prevent a march on Philadelphia. Thereupon 
Coniwallis, wlHi six thousand men, hurried after Washington. 
For three weeks he pursued the flying Americans, now reduced 
to three thousand. Many had no shoes, and left their blood- 
stained foot-prints on the frozen ground. Oftentimes the van 
of the pursuing army was in sight of the American rear- 
guard. At last Washington reached the Delaware, and the 
boats having all been secured, crossed into Pennsylvania.* 
Howe resolved to wait until the river should freeze over, and 
then capture Philadelphia. In the meantime he quartered 
his troops along the river in the neighboring villages. 
^^' Condition cf the Country. — It was a time of deep 
despondency. The patriot army was a mere handful of ragged, 
disheartened fugitives. Many people of wealth and influence 
went over to the enemy. New York and Newport — the 
second city in size in New England — ^were already in the 
hands of the British, and they were likely to soon seize Phila- 
delphia. 

Battle of Trenton. — Washington thought it time to 
strike a daring blow. On Christmas night, in a di'iving 



* During this retreat Washington repeatedly sent orders to General Lee, who was 
then at North Castle, to join him. Lee hesitated, and at last moved very slowly. 
Five days after this, while quartered in a small tavern at Baskingridge, remote from 
his troops, he was taken prisoner by English cavalry. His capture Avas a great mis- 
fortune to the Americans, who considered him the best officer in the army. The 
British were greatly rejoiced, and declared they had taken the "American Pal- 
ladium." 



1776.] EPOCH III. 117 

storm of sleet, amid drifting ice, that threatened every 
moment to crush the boats, he crossed the Delaware with 
twent3'-four hundred picked men, fell upon the Hessians at 




WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE. 

Trenton, in the midst of their festi^dties,* captured one 
thousand prisoners, slew their leader,! and safely escaped back 



* Hunt, a trader with friends and foes, a neutral, had invited Rail, the Hessian 
commander, to a Christmas supper. Card-playing and wine-drinking were kept up 
all night long. A messenger came in haste, at early dawn, with a note to the colonel. 
It was sent by a tory to give warning of the approach of the American forces. The 
negro servant refused admittance to the bearer. Knowing its importance, he bade 
the negro to take the note directly to the officer. The servant obeyed, but the 
colonel, excited by wine and the play, thrust it unopened into his pocket. Soon the 
roll of drums was heard, and before the pleasure-loving officer could reach his quar- 
ters the Americans were in pursuit of his fleeing soldiers. 

t Before leaving Trenton, Washington and Greene visited the dying Hessian. It 
had been a time of splendid triumph to the American commander, but as he stood by 
that bedside the soldier was lost in the Christian. The victorious general showed 
himself in that hour only a sympathizing friend. 



118 UJTITED STATES HISTORY. [1776. 

to camp,, with the loss of only four men — two killed and two 
frozen to death. 

The effect of this brilhant feat was electrical. It kindled 
anew the fires of patriotism. Troops whose time of enhst- 
ment was expiring, agreed to remain. New recruits were 
received. Howe was alarmed, and ordered Cornwalhs, who 
was just setting sail for England, to return and prepare for a 
winter's campaign. 



1777. 

Battle of Princeton (Jan. 3). — Washington soon crossed 
the Delaware again, and took post at Trenton. Just be- 
fore sunset Comwallis came up. His first onset being re- 
pulsed, he decided to wait till morning. Washington's situ- 
ation was now most critical. BeforgJaim^J?^ a powerful 
army, and behind, an impassable river. That night,* leaving 
his camp-fires burning to deceive the enemy, he swept by 
country roads around the British, fell upon the troops near 
Princeton, routed them, took three hundred prisoners, and by 
rapid marches reached Morristown Heights in safety. Corn- 
wallis heard the firing and hurried to the rescue, but he was 
too late. The victory was gained, and the victors were beyond 
pursuit. 



* Washington had forty cannon. At night^fall the ground was bo eoft that he 
could not move them ; but, while the council was in eesBion, the wind changed, 
and in two hours the roads were hard as pavement. Erekine urged CoruAvallis to 
attack the Americans that night, but he ^aW lie could " catch the lox in the morn- 
ing.'" On the morrow the fires were still burning, but the army was gone. None 
knew whither the patriots had fled. But at sunrise the sound of firing was heard in 
the direction of Princeton. The report of the cannon through the keen frosty air 
could be distinctly heard, but Cornwallis believed it to be distant thunder. Erskine 
however, exclaimed, " To arms, general ! Washington has outgeneraled us. Let us 
fly to the rescue at Priuceton 1" 



1777.] 



EPOCH III 



119 



These exploits won for Washington universal praise,* and he 
was declared to be the saver of his countiy. 

During the winter, by scouting parties, he managed to di'ive 
the British nearly out of New Jersey. 

Battle of Brandywine (Sept. 11). — Howe manoeuvered 
for a time to force AVashing- 
ton to a general fight, but the 
"American Fabius" was too 
wary. So Howe suddenly em- 
barked eighteen thousand men 
on his brother's fleet, and set 
sail. Washington hunied south 
to meet him. The patriot 
army numbered only eleven 
thousand, but when Washington 
learned that the British had 
arrived in the Chesapeake, he 
resolved to hazard a battle for 
the defence of Philadelphia. 
The Americans accordingly took position at Chad's Ford, on 
the Brandywine. Here they were attacked in front while 
Cornwallis stole around in the rear, as Clinton did in the bat- 
tle of Long Island. Sullivan, Sterling, La Fayette, f Wayne, 

* Frederick the Great of Prussia is said to have declared that the achievements 
of Washiiif^ton and his little band, during the six weeks following Christmas, were 
the most brilliant recorded on the pages of military history. 

t La Fayette's full name was Marie Jean Paul Eoch Yves Gilbert Motier Marquis 
de La Fayette. At a banquet in honor of the brother of the English king, he first 
heard the Declaration of Independence. He was won by its arguments, and from 
that time joined his hopes and sympathies to the American cause. Yet, how was he 
to aid it? The French nobility, though disliking England, did not endorse the action 
of her colonies. He was not yet twenty years of age, he had just married a woman 
wliom he tenderly loved, his prospects at home for honor and happiness were bright ; 
to join the patriot army would take him from his native land, his wife, and all his 
coveted ambitions, and would lead him into a struggle that seemed as hopeless as its 
cause was just. Yet his zeal for America overcame all this. Other difficulties now 
came up. His family objected ; the British minister protested ; the French king 
withheld Ms permission. Still undaunted, he purchased a vessel, fitted it out at his 
own expense, and, escaping the officers sent to detain him, crossed the ocean. Land- 




MARQUIS DE LA FAYETTE. 



120 UI^ITED STATES niSTORY. [1777. 

and Count Pulaski, in yain performed prodigies of valor. The 
patriots were routed. Philadelphia was taken, and the Brit- 
ish army went into quarters there and at German town.* 

Battle of Germantown (Oct. 4). — Washington would 
not let the enemies of his country rest in peace. A few weeks 
after they had settled down for the winter, he made a night 
march, f and at sunrise fell upon their troops at Germantown. 
At first the attack was successful, but a few companies of 
British desperately defending a stone house caused delay. 
The co-operation of the different divisions was prevented by 
a dense fog, which also hid the confusion of the enemy, so 
that the Americans retreated just at the moment of victory. 

Conclusion of the Campaign in Pennsylvania. — 
After these battles Howe turned his attention to the forts on 
the Delaware, which prevented his bringing supplies up to 
Philadelphia. The gallant defenders were soon forced by a 
severe bombardment to evacuate. Washington now retired to 
Valley Forge for winter quarters. 

Campaign at the North. — While the British had been 
thus successful in Pennsylvania, their victories were more than 
counterbalanced by defeats at the North. An attempt to cut 
off New England from New York by an expedition along 
the old traveled French and Indian war route, up Lake 
Champlain, ended in disaster. J 

ing at Charleston, he hastened to Philadelphia, and offering himself to Congress 
asked permission to serve as a volunteer without pay. A few days after, his acquaint- 
ance with Washington began, and it soon ripened into a tender and intimate friend- 
ship. His valor won for him a commission as major general before he was twenty-one. 

* The British army was sadly demoralized by the festivities of their winter quar- 
ters. Franklin wittily said, " Howe has not taken Philadelphia so much as Phila- 
delphia has taken Howe." 

t One thousand of his men were barefoot at this time. 

t Besides the capture of Burgoyne's army, of which we shall now speak, several 
minor events occurred during the year, which, though of little importance in them- 
selves, served to encouracje the people.— Howe had sent General Tryon with two 
thousand men to destroy the American stores at Danbury, Conn. He accomplished 
his work, and then set fire to the town. The next day he began his retreat, plunder- 
ing the people and devastating the country on his way. But the militiamen under 



1777.] EPOCH III. 121 

Bnrgoyne's Invasion.— In June, Burgoyne marched 
south from Canada with an army of ten thousand British and 
Indians. Forts Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and Edward, and 
the supphes at Whitehall, successively fell into his hands. 
General Schuyler, with the small force at his command, could 
only obstruct his path through the wilderness by felling trees 
across the road, and breaking down bridges. The loss of so 
many strongholds caused general alarm. Lincoln — with the 
Massachusetts troops, Arnold — noted for his headlong valor, 
and Morgan — with his famous riflemen, were sent to check 
Burgoyne's advance. Militiamen gathered from the neighbor- 
ing States.* An army was rapidly collected and drilled. So 
much dissatisfaction, however, arose with Schuyler that he was 

Wooster, Arnold, and Sullivan, handled his forces so roughly that they were glad 
to reach their boats. General Wooster, who was killed in the pursuit, was seventy 
years of age, but fought with the vigor of youth. Two horses were shot from under 
Arnold, and he received the fire of a whole platoon at a distance of thirty yards, 
yet he escaped uninjured.— Colonel Meigs avenged the burning of Danbury. 
With one hundred and twenty State militiamen he crossed in whale-boats to 
Long Island, destroyed a great quantity of stores, including twelve ships at 
Sag Harbor, and took ninety prisoners without losing a man.— The Americans 
were extremely anxious to offset the capture of General Lee, especially 
as they had no prisoner of equal rank to exchange for him. At this time, Gen- 
eral Prescott, who held command in Rhode Island, finding himself surrounded by 
bhips and a superior British force, became very negligent. Accordingly Colonel 
Barton formed a plan to capture him. Dexterously avoiding the enemy's vessels, he 
rowed ten miles in whale-boats and with about forty militia landed near Prescott's 
quarters. Seizing the astonished ocntinel who guarded his door, they hurried off the 
half-dressed general. A soldier escaping from the house gave the alarm, but the 
laughing guard assured him he had seen a ghost. They soon, however, found it to 
be no jesting matter, and vainly pursued the exultant Barton. This capture was 
<'ery annoying to Prescott, as he had just offered a price for Arnold's head, and his 
tyrannical conduct had made him obnoxious to the people. General Howe readily 
parted with Lee in exchange for Prescott, 

• The outrages of the Indians along the route led many to join the army. None of 
their bloody acts caused more general execration than the murder of Jane McCrea. 
This young lady was the betrothed of a Captain Jones of the British army. She 
lived near Fort Edward in the family of her brother, who, being a whig, started for 
Albany on Bnrgoyne's approach. But she, hoping to meet her lover, lingered at the 
house of a Mrs. McNeil, a staunch loyalist, and a cousin of the British General 
Frazer. Early one morning the house was surprised by Indians, who dragged forth 
the inmates and hurried them away toward Burgoyne's camp. Mrs. McNeil arrived 
there in safety. A short time after another party came iu with fresh scalps, among 
which she recognized the long glossy hair of her friend. The savages, on being 
charged with her murder, declared that she had been killed by a chance shot from a 



122 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1777. 

superseded by Gates just as lie was ready to reap tlie results 
of his wetl-laid schemes. With noble-minded patriotism he 
made known to Gates all his plans, and generously assisted 
him in their execution. The army was now stationed at 
Bemis's Heights, where fortifications were thrown up under 
the direction of Kosciusko* (kos-se-us'-ko). 

Burgoyne's Difficulties. — In the meantime, before Gates 
took command, two events occurred which materially deranged 
the plans of Burgoyne. 

1. St. Leger had been sent to take Fort Stanwix (now 
Eome), and thence to ravage the Mohawk valley and join Bur- 
goyne's army at Albany. General Arnold was dispatched by 
General Schuyler to relieve Eort Stanwix. Arnold accom- 
phshed his mission by a stratagem. A half-witted tory boy 
who had been taken prisoner, was promised his freedom, if he 
would spread the report among St. Leger's troops that a large 
body of Americans was close at hand. The boy, having cut 
holes in his clothes, ran breathless into the camp of the be- 
siegers, showing the bullet holes and describing his narrow 
escape from the enemy. When asked their number, he mys- 
teriously pointed upward to the leaves on the trees. The 
Indians and British were so fi-ightened that they fled precijji- 
tately, leaving their tents and artillery behind them. 

pnrewing party ; whereupon they had scalped her to secure the bounty. The precise 
truth has never been known. Captain Jones possessed himself of the sad memento 
of his betrothed, and resigned. The government refusing his resignation, he deserted, 
and for more than fifty years lived remote from society, a heart-broken man. 

* This general was a Pole of noble birth. While in France he formed the acquaint- 
ance of Franklin, who recommended him to Washington. He came to America and 
oflered himself " to fight as a volunteer for American independence." "What can 
you do?" asked the commander. "•Try me," was Kosciusko's laconic reply. Wash- 
ington was greatly pleased with him, and made him his aid. He became a colonel in 
the engineer corps, and superintended the construction of the Avorks at West Point. 
After the war he returned home and led the Poles in their struggles for independence. 
He died an exile. At Cracow is a mound of earth, 150 feet high, raised in his mem- 
ory. It is composed of earth brought from the battle-fields on which the Poles fought 
for liberty, In the new world his name is perpetuated by a monument at West 
Point, erected by the cadets. 



1T77.J 



EPOCH III 



123 




THE ALARM AT FORT STANWIX, 



2. Burgoyiie sent a detachment under Colonel Bamn to 
seize the supplies the Americans had collected at Bennington, 
Vt. General Stark with the militia met him there. As Stark 
saw the British lines foraiing for the attack, he exclaimed, 
"There are the red-coats; we must heat them to-day, or 
Molly Stark is a widow." His patriotism and bravery so 
inspired his raw troops that they defeated the British regulars 
and took about six hundred prisoners.* 

The two Battles of Saratoga (Sept. 19 and Oct. 7). — 
Disappointed of the supplies and reinforcements he had ex- 
pected in both these directions, Burgoyne now moved south- 



* One old man had five sons in the patriot army at Benninsfton. A neijjhbor. jupt 
from the field, told him that one had been unfortunate. " Has he proved a coward or 
a traitor?" asked the father. "Worse than that," was the answer, " he has falleU; 
but while bravely fighting." " Ah," said the father, " then I am satisfied." 



124 UXITED STATES HISTORY. [177? 

ward and attacked Gates's army at Bemis's Heights near Sara- 
toga. The armies surged to and fro through the day, hke the 
ebbing and flowing of the tide. The strife did not cease until 
darkness closed over the battle-field. For two weeks after- 
ward, the armies lay in their camps fortifying themselves, and 
each watching for an opportunity to take the other at a disad- 
vantage.* Burgoyne, finding that his provisions w ere low and 
that he must either fight or fly, again moved out to attack the 
Americans. Arnold, who had been unjustly deprived of his 
command since the last battle, maddened by the sight of the 
conflict, rushed into the thickest of the fight.f Gates, fearing 
that he might win fi-esh laurels, ordered Major Armstrong to 
recall him, but he was already out of reach. He had no 
authority to fight, much less to direct; but, dashing to the 
head of his old command, where he was received with cheers, 
he ordered a charge on the British line. Urging on the 
fight, leading every onset, delivering his orders in person 
where the bullets flew thickest, he forced the British I to their 
camp. Here the Hessians, dismayed by these terrific attacks, 
fired one volley and fled. Arnold, having forced an entrance, 
was wounded in the same leg as at Quebec, and borne from the 



* The British camp was kept in constant alarm. Officers and soldiers were con> 
stantly dressed and ready for action. One night, twenty young farmers residing near 
the camp, resolved to capture the enemy's advance picket guard. Armed with fowl 
ing-pieces they marched silently through the woods until they were within a few 
yards of the picket. They then rushed out from the bushes, the captain blowing an 
old horse-trumpet and the men yelling. There was no time for the sentinel's hail. 
" Ground your arms, or you are all dead men !" cried the patriot captain. Thinking 
that a large force had fallen upon them, the picket obeyed. The young farmers led to 
the American camp, with all the parade of regulars, over thirty British soldiers. 

t So fierce was the battle, that a single cannon was taken and retaken five times. 
Finally, Colonel Cilly leaped upon it, waved his sword, and " dedicating the gun to 
the American cause," opened it upon the enemy with their own ammunition. 

t General Fraser was the mind and soul of the British army. Morgan soon saw 
that this brave man alone stood between the Americans and victory. Calling to him. 
some of his best men he said, " That gallant officer is General Fraser. I admire and 
honor him ; but he must die. Stand among those bushes and do your duty." In five 
minutes Fraser fell, mortally wounded. 



1777.] EPOCH III. 125 

field, but not until he had won a yictory while Gates stayed in 
his tent. 

Effects of these Battles. — Burgoyne now fell back to Sara- 
toga. Hemmed in on all sides, there was no hope of escape. 
Indians and tories were constantly deserting. Provisions were 
low and water was scarce, as no one, except the women, 
dared to go to the river for it. The American batteries com- 
manded the British camp. While a council of war, held in 
Burgoyne's tent, was considering the question of surrender, a 
volley of grape-shot passed over the table around which the 
officers sat. Under these circumstances the decision was 
quickly made. The entire army, nearly six thousand strong, 
laid down their arms, and were marched past the American 
hues to the tune of Yankee Doodle. General Burgoyne 
handed his sword to General Gates, who promptly returned it. 

A shout of joy went up all over the land at the news of this 
victory. From the despair caused by the defeats of Brandy- 
wine and Germantown, the nation bounded to the highest 
pitch of joy and confidence. 



1778. 

Winter in Valley Forge.— The winter passed in Valley 
Forge was the gloomiest period of the war. The continental 
paper money was so depreciated in value that an cfficei-'s pay 
would not ^eep him in clothes. Many, having spent their 
entire fortune in the war, were now compelled to resign, in 
order to get a living. The men were encamped in cold, com- 
fortless huts, with httle food or clothing. Barefooted, they 
left on the frozen ground their tracks in blood. Few had 
blankets. Straw could not be obtained. Soldiers, who were 
enfeebled by hunger and benumbed by cold, slept on the bare 



126 



UNITED STATES niSTOKY 



[1778. 



earth. Sickness followed. With no change of clothing, no 
suitable food, and no medicines, death was the only relief. 
Amid this terrible suffering the fires of patriotism burned 

brightly. Washington felt 
that his cause was just, and 
ins^oired all around him with 
his sublime faith.* We cannot 
estimate too highly the en- 
durance of our Eevolutionary 
shes. To die on the field of 
battle is heroic, but a far 
greater patriotism is required 
to freeze or starve for one's 
native land. 
Aid from France. — In 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, thc sp^Hg tlic hcarts of all 

were gladdened by news that, through the efforts, of Frank- 
lin, f France had acknowledged the Independence of the 




* During this winter Washington was quartered at the house of Isaac Potts. One 
day, while Potts was on his way up the creek he heard a voice of prayer. Softly fol- 
lowing its direction, he soon discovered the General upon his knees, his cheeks wet 
with tears. Narrating the incident to his wife, he added with much emotion, "If 
there is any one to whom the Lord will listen, it is George Washington, and under 
such a commander, our independence is certain." — Besides all the perils of want and 
famine which he shared with his soldiers, Washington was called upon to sufler from 
envy and calumny. General Conway, a cunning, restless intriguer, formed a cabal 
of officers against Washington. Their plan was to so wound his feelings that he 
would resign. In that etent Gates, whose reputation was very high, would succeed 
to the command. Pennsylvania sent to Congress a remonstrance censuring Wash- 
ington. The ■^ame was done by members from Massachusetts. Fortunately, the 
army and the best citizens knew the inspiration of the whole movement to be jeal- 
ousy. Their indignation was unbounded. Neither Conway nor Adams dared show 
himself among the soldiers, and soon the attack recoiled on the heads of its in- 
stigators. 

t Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, 1706, N. S. ; died in Philadelphia 
1790. Ilis father was a poor soap and candle maker, and Benjamin, being the young- 
est of seventeen children, had little opportunity to gratify his desire for knowledge. 
By abstaining from meat for two years, he managed to buy a few books, which he 
diligently studied. At seventeen years of age he landed in Philadelphia with a silver 
dollar and a shilling in copper. As, with his extra shirts and stockings stuffed in his 
pockets, he walked along the streets, eating the roll of bread which served for his 
breakfast, his future wife stood at her father's door and watched his awkward ap- 



1778.] EPOCH III 127 

United States, and that a fleet was on its » way to help 
them.* 

Battle of Monmouth (June 28). — Howe having re- 
turned to England, Clinton succeeded him. Alarmed by 
the approach of the French fleet, he resolved to concentrate 
his forces at New York. Washington followed him across New 
Jersey. The two armies met at Monmouth. General Lee,t 

pearance, little dreaming of his brilliant future, or of its interest to her. He soon, 
obtained employment as a printer. Being induced by false representations to go to 
England, he found himself almost penniless in a strange land. With his usual in- 
dustry he went to work, and soon made friends and a good living. Returning to 
Philadelphia he established a newspaper, and in 1732 commenced to publish " Poor 
Richard's Almanac," which for twenty years was greatly popular in Europe as well 
as America. Its common-sense proverbs and useful hints are household words to 
this day. Retiring from business with a fine fortune, he devoted himself chiefly to 
science. His discoveries in electricity are world-renowned. (See Fourteen Weeks 
in Philosophy, pp. 281-3.) Franklin was an unflinching patriot. While in England 
he defended the cause of liberty ^ith great zeal and ability. He helped to dtaft the 
Declaration of Independence, and was one of its signers. Having been appointed 
ambassador to France, he first invested all his ready money, $15,000, in the conti- 
nental loan, a practical proof of his patriotism, since its repayment was extremely 
improbable. His influence at the French court was unbounded. He was revered 
for his dignity, his genius, his wit, and his charming conversation. He became to 
the American cause in the old world what Washington was to it in the new. On 
his return he was elected president of Pennsylvania for three successive years. He 
gave the whole of his salaiy, $30,000, to benevolent objects. In his eighty-second 
year he was a member of the Constitutional Convention. At his death twenty 
thousand persons assembled to do honor to his memory. 

* At this juncture England sent commissioners with lib ral proposals, which, be- 
fore the v.ar commenced, would have been accepted ; but that day was now past. 
Next bribery was tried. Among those approached was General Reed of Pennsyl- 
vania. He was ofiered ten thousand guineas and distinguished honors if he would 
exert his influence to efl"ect a reconciliation. " I am not worth purchasing," said 
the honest patriot, "but such as I am, the king of Great Britain is not rich enough 
to buy me." 

t Charles Lee was bom in Cheshire, England, 1731, and died in Philadelphia, 1782. 
When only eleven years of age he is said to have held a commission in the English 
army. He belonged to Braddock's command, and thus received his first lesson in 
American warfare. In the attack on Ticonderoga (1758) he was wounded. He be- 
came a lieutenant-colonel and distinguished himself by his valor in Spain. His pro- 
motion, however, was so slow that he became disgusted, resigned his commission, 
and (1773) came to the new world to seek his fortune. As a general of renown, and 
an intense writer in behalf of liberty, he was kindly received by Washington and 
other patriots. At the breaking out of the war he was assigned the rank of major- 
general, and was honored by Washington's confidence in all military affairs. His 
bitter spirit, irascible temper, and ambitious designs, often led him into trouble. For 
his conduct at Monmouth, and his disrespectful letters to Washington, and afterward 
to Congress, he was dismissed from the army. He retired to his estate in Virginia, 
where he lived in a rude house whose only partitions were chalk marks on the floor— 



128 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1778. 

who conducted the attack, ordered a retreat. The men, en- 
tangled in a swamp, were becoming demoraUzed as they re- 
tired from the field, when Washington, riding up, bitterly 
rebuked Lee, by his personal presence rallied the men, and 
led them back against the enemy. The fight lasted all that 
long sultry day.* In the darkness of night Clinton stole away 
with his men to New York. 

Campaign in Rhode Island. — ^A combined attack on 
Newport was arranged to be made by the French fleet under 
D'Estaing (des-tang), and the American army under General 
Sullivan. Soon after the French entered Narraganset Bay, 
Howe arrived off the harbor with the English fleet. D'Estaing 
went out to meet him. A terrible storm came on, which 
so shattered both fleets that they were compelled to put back 
for repairs. General Sullivan, being thus deserted, retreated 
just in time to escape Clinton, who came up from New York 
with reinforcements. The French gave no further aid dming 
this year. 

The Wyoming Massacre. — In July, a band of tories 
and Indians under Butler, entered the beautiful vaUey of the 
Wyoming. Most of the able-bodied men had gone to the war. 
The old men and the boys anned for the defence. The 
women and children fled for refuge to a fort near the present 
site of Wilkesbarre. Taking counsel of their courage, and 
their defenceless mothers, wives, and children, a handful of 
men sallied out to meet the invaders. They were soon de- 
an improvement upon walls on which he prided himself— surrounded by his dogs, 
which were his only intimate companions. He continued to most virulently assail 
Washington. While on a visit to Philadelphia he Avas fatally attacked by fever. 
His dying words were, " Stand by now, my brave grenadiers 1 " 

* During the day an artilleryman was shot at his post. His wife, Mary Pitcher, 
while bringing water to her husband from a spring, saw him fall and heard the com- 
mander order the piece to be removed ftom the field. Instantly dropping the pail, 
she hastened to the cannon, seized the rammer, and with great skill and courage 
performed her husband's duty. The soldiers gave her the nickname of Major Molly. 
On the day after the battle she was presented to Washington, and received a eev 
geant's commission with half-pay through life. 



1778.] EPOCH III. 129 

feated. All that night the Indians tortured their prisoners in 
every way that savage cruelty could devise. The fort having 
been surrendered on promise of safety, Butler did his best to 
restrain his savage aUies, but in vain. By night the vrhole 
valley was ablaze with burning dwellings, while the people fled 
for their hves through the wilderness. 



1779. 

Campaign at the South. — At the close of the preceding 
autumn the scene of conflict was transferred to Georgia.* 
Savannah and Augusta were captured, and soon the entire 
State was conquered. The British governor being restored, 
England could once more boast of a royal province among the 
colonies. Prevost now led the British against Charleston, 
S. C. He had scarcely summoned the city when he heard 
that Lincoln, his dreaded foe, was after him with the mihtia. 
Prevost escaped, however, and returned to Savannah. In 
September, D'Estaing joined Lincoln in an attack upon that 
city. After a severe bombardment an unsuccessful assault 
was made. A thousand hves were lost. Count Pulaskif was 
mortally wounded. The simple-hearted Sergeant Jasper died 
gi'asping the banner presented to his regiment at Fort Moul- 
ti'ie. D'Estaing refused to give further aid ; thus again de- 
serting the Ameficaus when help was most needed. 

* The Britif*H;, discouraged by their failure to subdue the eastern and middle States, 
during the remainder of the war put forth their principal strength at the South. 

t Count Pulaski was a Polish patriot who. having lost his father and brothers in 
the hopelesi^le fence of his country, and being himself outlawed, had come to fight 
for the freoflom of America. At first he served as a volunteer. He fought valiantly 
at the battle of Brandywine. During the second year he commanded an independent 
corps of cavalry, lancers, and light infantry, called " Pulaski's Legion," with which 
he did effectual service. He was buried in the Savannah River. The comer-stone oi 
a monument raised to his memory in Savannah, was laid by La Fayette while visiting 
that city during hie triumphal progress through the United States. 



130 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1779. 

Campaign at th3 North. — Clinton did little except to 
send out predatory parties. Norwalk, Fairfield, and New 
Haven, Conn., were burned or plundered. Tryon, who com- 
manded the Connecticut expedition,* boasted of his clemency 
in leaving a single house standing on the New England 
coast 

The Capture of Stony Point by General Wayne, with 
only eight hundred men, was one of the most brilliant exploits 
of the war. The countersign, which, curiously enough, was 
" The fort is ours," was obtained of a negro who was in the 
habit of selhng strawberries at the fort. He guided them in 
the darkness to the causeway leading over the. flooded marsh 
around the foot of the hill, on which the fort, was situated. 
The unsuspicious sentinel, having received the countersign, 
was chatting with the negro, when he was suddenly seized and 
gagged. Wayne's men passed over the causeway and reached 
the base of the hill undiscovered. Just before midnight, with 
unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets, they commenced the 
ascent of the steep and narrow path which led to the top. 
They had nearly reached the picket before they were dis- 
covered. Fire was at once opened upon them. Wayne was 
wounded, but commanded his aids to caiTy him that he might 
die at the head of the column. The rush of his men was 
irresistible. An instant more, and a deafening shout told that 
the fort was won. The British lost m killed, wounded, and 
prisoners, six hundred men. 

General Sullivan's Expedition. — The atrocities of the 
Indians had kept the inhabitants of the Wyoming and 
Mohawk valleys in continued terror. In the summer. General 

* General Putnam was at Horse Neck when Tryon was in the vicinity. Hastily 
gathering a few militia, he annoyed the British as long as possible, and then, com- 
pelled to flee before the enemy's overwhelming force, his men hid themselves in the 
adjacent swamp, while he, spurring his spirited horse over a precipice, descended 
i zigzag path, where the British dragoons did not dare to follow. 



1779.] 



EPOCH III 



131 




GIVING THE COUNTERSIGN AT STONY POINT, 



Sullivan led an expedition into the Genesee country. Near 
Elmira, N. Y., a fierce battle was fought with the Indians and 
their tory alhes. Being defeated, they fled in dismay, while 
Sullivan marched to and fro through that beautiful region, 
laying waste their corn-fields, felling their orchards, and burn- 
ing their houses.* 

Naval Exploits. — No American successes caused more 
annoyance to the British than those of the navy. In 1775, 
AVashington fitted out several vessels to cruise along the 'New 
England coast as privateers. In the same year Congress 
estabhshed a naval department. Swift sailing vessels, manned 



* The Indians, in the fertile country of the Cayucras and Senecas, had towns and 
villages regularly laid out. They had framed houses, some of them well finished, 
painted, and having chimneys. They also had hroad and productive fields, and 
orchards of apple, pear, and peach trees. 



132 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1779. 

by bold seamen, infested every avenue of commerce. Within 
three years they captured five hundred ships. They even 
cruised among the British isles, and, entering harbors, seized 
and burned ships lying at English wharves. Among naval 
heroes no name is more celebrated than that of Paul Jones. 
Off the coast of Scotland, occurred his memorable action in 
the Bon Homme Eichard* against the Serapis. As the enemy 
carried hea^der guns, he lashed the two vessels together.f 
The muzzles of the guns touched, and the gunners in working 
their pieces often thrust their ramrods into the port-holes of 
the other ship. For two hours they fought hand to hand with 
musket, pike, and cutlass. The Bon Homme was old and 
rotten, and soon became almost unmanageable. Water 
poured into the hold. Only three of the guns could be 
worked. Grenades were thrown on the Serapis, and flames 
burst out in a dozen places. Three times both vessels were on 
fire. At last, Pearson, the captain of the Serapis, struck his 
colors. The Bon Homme was already sinking. Jones trans- 
ferred his men to the captured frigate, and sailed off with his 
prize. 



1780. 

Campaign at the South. — Georgia ha^dng been sub- 
dued, the war was now renewed in South Carolina. Charles- 
ton was attacked by land and sea. General Lincoln, after 

* Jones had given this name (Goodman Richard) to his ship in honor of Dr. 
Franklin, whose sayings as " Poor Richard," he warmly admired. 

+ At this point the contest had been raging an hour, and the ships had twice fallen 
foul of each other. The first time, the Serapis hailed the Richard, asking if she had 
" struck her colors." " I have not yet begun to fight," was the reply of Jones. The 
second time, " Jones witb his own hands assisted in lashing the jib-stay of the 
Serapis to the mizzen-mast of the Richard." The Serapis now let go an anchor 
hoping to drift clear, but in vain, for the ships were fastened, head and stem. 



1780.] EPOCH III. 133 

enduring a siege of forty days and a terrible bombardment, 
was forced to surrender. Comwallis at once sent out expe- 
ditions* in every direction, and the whole State was soon 
overrun. 

Battle of Camden (Aug. 16). — General Gates, 'Hhe con- 
queror of Burgoyne," now taking command of the troops at 
the South, f marched to meet the enemy under Oornwallis 
near Camden. Singularly, both generals had appointed the 
same time to make a night attack. While marching for this 
purpose, the advance guards of the two armies unexpectedly 
encountered each other in the woods. After some sharp 
skirmishing the armies waited for day. At dawn Oornwallis 
ordered a charge. The militia, demoralized by the fighting in 
the night, fled at the first fire. De Kalb, with the conti- 
nental regulars, stood firm. At last he fell, pierced Avitli 
eleven wounds. His brave comrades for a time fought desper- 
ately over his body, but w^ere overwhelmed by numbers. TJie 
army was so scattered that it could not be collected. A few 
of the officers met Gates eighty miles in the rear with no 
soldiers. All organized resistance to British rule now ceased 
in the South. 

Partisan Corps. — The Oarolinas were full of tories. Many 
of them joined the British army; others organized com- 
panies which mercilessly robbed and murdered their whig 
neighbors. On the other hand there were patriot bands which 
rendezvoused (ron-da-vood) in swamps, and sallied out as 
occasion offered. These partisan corps kept the country in 



* One of these, under the command of the brutal Tarleton, at Waxhaw Creek, 
overtook a body of four hundred Continental troops and a small party of cavalry 
under Colonel Buford. The British gave no quarter, and after the Americans sur- 
rendered, mercilessly maimsd and butchered the larger portion of them. 

+ Lee met Gates on his way to join the southern army. His well-worded caution. 
''Beware your northern laurels do not turn to southern willows," seems almost 
prophetic of the Camden disaster. 



134 



UNITED STATES HISTOEY, 



[1780. 



continued terror. Marion,* Sumpter,f Pickens, and Lee, were 
noted patriot leaders. Their bands were strong enough to cut 
off British detachments, and even successfully attack small 
garrisons. The cruel treatment which the whigs received 
from the British J; drove many to this partisan warfare. The 
issue of the contest at the south was largely decided by these 
bold citizen soldiers. 

Continental Money had now been issued by Congress 

to the amount of 1200,000,- 
000. At this time it was so 
much depreciated that $40 
in bills were worth only II 
in specie. A pair of boots 
cost 1600 in continental 
currency. A soldier's pay 
for a month would hardly 
buy him a dimier. To make 




CONTINENTAL MONEY. 



* A Biitish officer sent to negotiate concerning an exchange of prisoners, dined 
with Mai-ion. The dinner consisted of roasted potatoes. Surprised at this meagre 
diet, he made some inquiries, when he found that this was their customary fare, and 
also that the patriot geuei-al serA'ed without pay. This devotion to the cause of lib- 
erty so affected the officer that he resigned his commission. He thought it folly to 
fight such men. 

t At Hanging Bock (Aug. 6) Sumpter gained a victory over a strong body of Brit- 
ish andtories. He begun the action with only two rounds of ammunition, but soon 
supplied himself from the fleeing tories. Frequently, In these contests, a portion 
of the bands would go into a battle without guns, arming themselves with the 
muskets of their comrades as they fell.— At King's Mountain (Oct. 7) a large body of 
Independent riflemen, each company under its own leader, attacked Ferguson, who 
had been sent out to rally the tories of the neighborhood. Ferguson and one hun- 
dred and fifty of his men were killed, and the rest taken prisoners. 

X An event which occurred in Charleston aroused the bitterest resentment. 
When that city was captured by the British, Colonel Isaac Hayne, with others, 
was paroled, but was afterwards ordered into the British ranks. At this time 
his wife and several of his children lay at the point of death with small-pox. The 
choice was given him to become a British subject or to be placed in close confine- 
ment. Agonized by thoughts of his dying family, he signed a pledge of allegiance to 
England, with the assurance that he should never be required to fight acrainst his 
countrymen. Being afterward summoned by Lord Rawdon to join the British army, 
he considered the pledge annulled, and raised a partisan band. He was captured, and 
without being allowed a trial, was condemned to death. The citizens of Charleston 
vainly implored pardon for him. Lord Rawdon allowed him forty-eight hours in 
jvhich to take leave of his orphan children, at the end of which time he was hanged. 



1780.J EPOCHIII. 135 

the matter worse, the British had flooded the country with 
counterfeits, whicli could not be told from the genuine. Many 
persons refused to take continental money. The sufiferings 
of the soldiers and the difficulty of procuring supplies may 
be readily imagined.* The Pennsylvania regiments in camp 
at Morristown, claiming that their time had expired, de- 
manded their discharge. At last, 1,300 strong, they set out 
for Washington to secure redress at the point of the bayonet.f 
A committee of Congress succeeded in satisfying them. 

Arnold's Treason. — The Enghsh did little at the I^orth, 
and the condition of Wasliington's army prevented his 
making any movement. Meanwhile the cause of liberty 
suffered a terrible blow from one who had been its gallant 
defender. General Arnold, whose bravery at Quebec and 
Saratoga had awakened universal admiration, was stationed at 
Philadelphia while his wound was healing. He there married 
a tory lady and lived in great extravagance. By various acts 
of oppression, he rendered himself so odious that on one 
occasion he was publicly mobbed. Charges being preferred 
against him, he was convicted and sentenced to be repri- 
manded by the commander-in-chief. Washington performed 
the duty very gently and considerately ; but Arnold, stung by 
the disgrace, and desperate in fortune, resolved to gratify both 
his revenge and love of money by betraying his country. He 
accordingly secured from Washington the command of West 
Point, at that time the most important post in America. He 
then proposed to Clinton, with whom he had previously cor- 
responded, to surrender it to the British. The idea was ac- 

* In this crisis, Eobert Morris, a wealthy citizen of Philadelphia, sent three mil- 
lion rations to the army. . Soldiers' relief associations were also organized by the 
women of that city. Those who had money gave it, and the poor contributed their 
work. Twenty-two hundred shirts were thus made, on each of which was inscribed 
the name of the lady who sewed it. 

t Clinton's agents went among the discontented troops offering large rewards for 
desertion. The emissaries mistook their men, for the soldiers seized them and g3-\ e 
them up as spies. 



136 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1780. 

cepted, and Major Andre appointed to confer with him. 
Andre ascended the Hudson in the Vulture, an EngHsh sloop- 
of-war, landed near West Point, and at midnight met the 
traitor. Morning dawned before they had completed their 
plans. In the mean time, fire having been opened on the 
Vulture, she had dropped down the river. Andre, now left 
within the American hnes, was obliged to make his way back 
to New York by land. He had reached Tarrytown in safety, 
when, at a sudden turn, his horse's reins were seized, and 
three men* sprang into the road before him. His manner 
awakening suspicion, they searched him, and finding papers 
which seemed to prove him a spy, they can'ied him to the 
nearest American postf Arnold was at breakfast, when he 
received a note announcing Andre's capture. Calling aside 
his wife, he told her of his peril. Terrified by his words, she 
fainted. Kissing his boy, who lay asleep in the cradle, Arnold 
darted out of the house, mounted a horse, by an unfrequented 
path reached the river, jumped into his boat, and was rowed 
to the Vulture, which lay a few miles below.J; 

Andre was tried and hung as a spy. Every effort was 
made to save him, and his fate awakened universal sympathy. 
Arnold received, as the reward of his treachery, £6,315, a 
colonelcy in the English army, and the contempt of every- 
body. The very name, "Arnold the Traitor," will always 
declare his infamy.§ 

* The names of these men were Paulding, Van Wart, and Williams. Andre 
offered them his horse, watch, purse, and any sum they might name, if they would 
release him. The incorruptible patriots declared that they would not let him go for 
ten thousand guineas. Congress voted to each of them a silver medal and a pension 
for life. 

t Jameson, the oflacer to whom they conveyed Andre, with inconceivable stupidity, 
wrote a note to Arnold detailing the capture, and that the dangerous papers (in which 
he recognized Amold's handwriting) had been sent to General Washington. 

t The meanness of Arnold's nature was clearly illustrated in the betrayal of his 
boatmen, whom he gave up as prisoners. When they arrived at New York, Clinton, 
more honorable, set them free. 

§ Arnold was thoroughly despised by the British officers, and often insulted. Many 



1781.] EPOCH III. 137 



1781. 

The War at the South. — General Greene, who was 
appointed to succeed General Gates, found the army to consist 
of only two thousand half-clothed, half-starved men. A part 
of his force, under Morgan, was attacked (January 17) at 
Coiv2)ens'^ by Tarleton. The militia fleeing, the continentals 
fell back to secure a better position. The British, mistaking 
this for a retreat, were rushing on in confusion, when the con- 
tinentals suddenly faced about, poured in a deadly fire at only 
thirty yards distance, and drove them in utter rout. Tarleton 
fled to Cornwallis, who set out in hot haste, eager to punish 
the victors and recapture the prisoners. Morgan started for 
Virginia, and crossed the Catawba just before Cornwallis came 
in sight. Night came on, and with it rain, which raised the 
river so high as to keep the impatient Cornwallis waiting for 
three days. 

G-reene's Retreat. — General Greene now joined Morgan, 
and conducted the retreat. At the Yadkin, just as the Amer- 
icans had reached the other side, it began to rain. When 
Cornwallis came up, the river was so swollen that he could 
not cross. He, however, marched up the stream, effected a 

stories are told illustrative of English sentiment towai-d him. A member of Parlia- 
ment, about to address the House of Commons, happening, as he rose, to see Arnold 
in the gallery, said, pointing to the traitor, " Mr. Speaker, I will not speak while that 
man is in the House." George the Third introduced Arnold to Earl Barcarras, one of 
Burgoyne's officers atBemis's Heights. " Sire," said the proud old earl as he turned 
from Arnold, refusing his hand, "I know General Arnold, and abominate traitors." 
When Talleyrand was about to come to America, he sought letters of introduction from 
Arnold, but received the reply, " I was born in America ; I lived there to the prime of 
my life ; but, alas ! I can call no man in America my friend." 

* Colonel William A. Washington, in a personal combat in this battle, wounded 
Tarleton. Months afterward, the British officer while conversing with Mrs. Jones, a 
witty American lady, sneeringly said, "That Colonel Washington is very illiterate. 
I am told he cannot write his name." "Ah, Colonel," replied she, "you bear evi- 
dence that he can make his mark." Tarleton expressing, at another time, his desire 
to see Colonel Washington, the lady replied, "Had you looked behind you at Cowpens, 
you might have had that pleasure." 



138 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1781. 

passage, and was soon in full pursuit again. Now came a 
race, on parallel roads, thirty miles per day, for the fords of 
the Dan. Greene reached them first, and Cornwalhs gave up 
the chase. This signal deliverance of Greene's exhausted 
army awoke every pious feeling of the American heart, and 
was a cause for general thanksgiving.* 

Campaign Closed. — Having rested his men, Greene again 
took the field, harassing the enemy by a fierce partisan war- 
fare. At Guilford Court-House (March 15) he hazarded a 
battle. The militia fled again at the first fire, but the con- 
tinental regulars fought as in the time of De Kalb. The 
Americans at last retired, but the British had bought their 
victory so dearly that Cornwallis also retreated. Greene again 
pursuing, Cornwallis shut himself up in AYilmington. There- 
upon Greene turned his course to South Carolina, and with 
the aid of Marion, Sumpter, Lee, and Pickens, nearly deliv- 
ered this State and Georgia from the English.f In the battle 
of Eutaiu 82:>rings (Sept. 8) the forces of the enemy were so 
crippled that they retired toward Charleston. Cornwallis, re- 
fusing to follow Greene into South Carolina, had before this 
gone noi*th into Virginia, and though a fierce partisan warfare 



* During this retreat. General Greene, after a hard day's ride in the rain, alighted 
at the door of Mrs. Elizabeth Steele, in Salisbury, N. C, announcing himself as 
"■ fatigued, hungry, cold, and penniless.'' Quickly providing the honored guest with 
a warm supper before a cheerful fire, this patriotic woman brought forth two small 
bags of specie, her earnings for years. " Take these," she said ; " you will want them, 
and I can do without them." "Never," says his biographer, " did relief come at a 
more needy moment ; the hero resumed his dangerous journey that night with a 
lightened heart." 

Another story illustrative of the patriotism of the Southern women is told of Mrs. 
Motte. The British had taken possession of her house, fortified and garrisoned it. 
On General Lee's advance this patriotic woman furnished him a bow and arrows, by 
means of which fire was thrown upon the shingled roof. Her mansion was soon in 
flames. The occupants, to save their lives, surrendered. 

t Congress voted the highest honors to General Greene, who, by his prudence, 
wisdom, and valor, had, with such insignificant forces and miserable equipments, 
achieved so much for the cause of liberty. He never gained a decided victory, yet 
his defeats had all the clTccts of successes, and his veiy retreats strengthened the 
confidence of his men and weakened that of the enemy. 



1781.] EPOCH III. 139 

still distracted the country, this engagement closed the long 
and fiercely fought contest at the South.* 

The War at the North. — The traitor Arnold, burning 
with hatred, led an expedition into Virginia. He conducted 
the war with great brutality, burning private as well as public 
property. La Fayette was sent to check him, but with his 
small force f could accomplish little. Cornwallis, arriving 
from the South, now took Arnold's place, and continued this 
marauding tour through the country. Clinton, however, fear- 
ing Washington, who seemed to threaten New York, directed 
Cornwallis to keep near the sea-coast so as to be ready to help 
him. Cornwallis, accordingly, after having destroyed ten 
million dollars worth of property, fortified himself at York- 
town. 

Siege of YorktOTvn. — It was aiTanged to attack Corn- 
wallis at this place by the combined American^ and French 
forces. Washington, by a feint on New York, kept Clinton 
in the dark regarding his plans until he was far on his way§ 

* At the battle of Eutaw, Maiming, a noted soldier of Lee's legion, was in hot 
pursuit of the flying British, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by the 
enemy and not an American within forty rods. He did not hesitate, but seizing an 
oflicer by the collar, and wresting his sword from him by main force, he kept his 
body as a shield while he rapidly backed off under a heavy fire from the perilous 
neighborhood. The frightened British officer when thus summarily captured, began 
immediately to enumerate his titles : " I am Sir Heiiyry Barry, deputy adjutant-gen- 
eral, captain in 52d regiment," «fec., &c. ''Enough," interrupted his captor, "you 
are just the man I was looking for." 

t Many of La Fayette's men having deserted, he set forth the baseness of such con- 
duct, and then offered to all who desired it, a permit to go home. Not one man 
accepted, nor was there after this a single case of desertion. One man, not being 
able to walk, hired a cart that he might be able to keep up with his comrades. Shoes, 
linen, and many other necessaries were provided at La Fayette's expense. The gen- 
erosity of this general and the devotion of his soldiery seemed to vie with each 
other. 

t During the preceding winter Robert Morris sent to the starving army several 
thousand barrels of flour. He now furnished nearly everything required for this ex- 
pedition, issuing his own notes to the amount of $1,400,000. It is sad to know that 
this patriot, so often the resource of Washington, lost his fortune in his old age, and 
was confined in prison for debt. 

§ Washington, at this time, visited his home. He had not seen it before since ho 
left it to attend the Continental Congress in 1775. Six years and a half had nearly 
elapsed, yet he remained only long enough to fulfil a military engagement. 



140 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1781. 

South with the continental army * On the 28th of Septem- 
ber, the joint forces, twelve thousand strong, took up their 
position before Yorktown. Batteries were openedf upon the 
city. The vessels in the harbor were fired by red-hot shells. 
Two redoubts were carried; one by the Americans, the other 
by the French. The most hearty good-will prevailed. The 
patriots slept in the open air that their allies might use then- 
tents. Breaches had been made in the waUs. ComwalHs, 
seeing no hope of escape, capitulated (Oct. 19). 

The Scene of the Surrender was most imposing. The 
army was drawn up in two lines, extending over a mile — the 
Americans on one side, with General Washington at the head, 
and the French on the other, with Count Eochambeau (ro- 
sham-bo). The captive army, about seven thousand in num- 
ber, with slow step, shouldered arms, and cased colors, 
marched between them. A prodigious crowd, anxious to see 
Coriiwallis, had assembled, but the haughty general, vexed and 
mortified at his defeat, feigned illness, and sent his swordj by 
General O'Hara. 

The Effect. — Both parties felt that this surrender virtu- 
ally ended the war. Joy pervaded every patriot heart. All 
the hardships of the past were forgotten in the thought that 

* Clinton sent Arnold on a pillaging tour into Connecticut in order to force Wash- 
ington to return. He, however, was not to he diverted from his great enterpi-ise, and 
left New England to take care of herself. New London was pillaged and burned. 
Arnold watched the fire from a church steeple. The commander and half the garri- 
son of Fort Griswold were butchered. After the fort had been taken, a British officer 
entering asked, "Who commands here?" "I did," said Colonel Ledyard, as he ad- 
vanced surrendering his sword, "but you do now." With fiendish malignity, he 
seized the sword and thrust it into the bosom of the brave colonel. 

t Governor Nelson commanded the battery that fired first upon the British. 
Cornwallis and his staff" were at that time occupying the governor's fine stone man- 
sion. The patriot pointed one of his heaviest guns directly toward his house, and 
ordered the gunner to fire upon it with vigor. The British could not make even the 
home of the noble Nelson a shield against his patriotic efforts. The house still bears 
the scars of the bombardment. 

X With a fine delicacy of feeling, Washington directed it to be delivered to General 
Lincoln, who, eighteen months before, had surrendered at Charleston. 



1781.] 



EPOCH III, 



141 








THE SURRENDERED ARMY AT YORKTOWN. 



America was free. The news reached Philadelphia at two 
o'clock A. M. The people were awakened by the watchman's 
cry, "Past two o'clock and Cornwalhs is taken." Lights 
flashed through the houses, and soon the streets were 
thronged with crowds eager to learn the glad news. Some 
were speechless with delight. Many wept, and the old 
door-keeper of Congress died of joy. CongTess met at an 
early hour, and that afternoon marched in solemn procession 
to the Lutheran church to return thanks to Almighty God. 

All hope of subduing America was now abandoned by the 
people of England, and they loudly demanded the removal of 
the ministers who still counselled war.* The House of Com- 
mons voted that whoever ad\dsed the king to continue hostili- 
ties should be considered a public enemy. 



* The British Cabinet received intelligence of the defeat on Sunday noon, Novem- 



142 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1781 

Difficulties of the Country and Army. — The situa- 
tion of the United States at this time was perilous. Com- 
merce had been destroyed by the war. The currency was 
worthless. Trade, manufactures, and agriculture, had been 
neglected. War had been the main business of the country 
for eight years. Many persons had lost their entire fortur 
Villages had been burned, ships lost, and crops destroyed. 
The British still held New York. George III. seemed obsti- 
nate. War might be resumed at any time. Yet the army 
was in almost open rebellion. The soldiers were afi-aid they 
should be disbanded and sent home without pay. They 
petitioned Congress, but received no satisfaction. The treas- 
ury was empty. At this crisis W^ashington was in^dted to 
become king. The noble patriot was shocked at the pro- 
posal, and indignantly spurned it. A paper having been circu- 
lated advising violent measures, Washington addressedf a 
meeting of the officers, and besought them not to mar their 
fair record of patriotic service by any rash proceedings. His 
influence prevailed, both with the army and w^ith Congress, 
and the difficulties were amicably settled. 

Peace Declared. — A treaty was signed at Paris (Sep- 
tember 3, 1783) acknowledging the independence of the 
United States. Soon after, the army was disbanded. Wash- 
ington bade his officers an affecting farewell, and retired to 
Mount Vernon, followed by the thanksgiving of a grateful 
people. 

Weakness of the Government. — During the Avar the 
thirteen States had agreed upon Articles of Confederation, 



ber 25. Lord North, the prime minister, was greatly excited. He received the 
news as lie would have taken a cannon ball in his breast. With looks and actions 
indicating the deepest distress, he again and again exclaimed, "O God I it is all 
over." 

t As he rose he took oflFhis spectacles to wipe them, saying, " My eyes have grown 
dim in the service of my country, but I have never doubted her justice." 



.31 



y , u w 



1783.] EPOCH III. 143 

but they conferred little power on Congress. It could recom- 
mend, but not enforce ; it could only advise action, leaving the 
States to do as they might please. Bitter jealousy existed 
between the several States, both with regard to each other and 
to a general government. The popular desire was to let each 
State remain independent, and have no national authority. A 
heavy debt had been incurred by the war. Congress had no 
money and coiild not levy taxes. It advised the States to pay, 
but they were too jealous of Congress to heed its requests. 
" We are," said Washington, " one nation to-day, and thirteen 
to-morrow." In New England, large bodies of men assembled, 
refusing to pay their taxes and openly threatening to over- 
turn the government. This insurrection, known as Shays's 
Rebellion, from the name of its leader, was put down by the 
militia under General Lincoln. 

Constitution Adopted. — Under these circumstances 
many of the best men of the land felt the need of a stronger 
national government. A convention was called in Philadel- 
phia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Washington was 
chosen president. After mitch dehberation* they adopted an 
entirely new constitution (September 17, 1787). During the 
ensuing year the government was organized under it, and in 
1789 w^ent into full operation. 

During the next Epoch we shall notice the growth of the 
country under the wise provisions of this constitution. 

* The new constitution met with the most violent opposition. The people were 
divided into two parties— the Federalists and the anti-Federalists. The former 
favored the constitution and sought to increase the powers of the national govern- 
ment, and thus strengthen the Union at home and abroad. The latter wished the 
anthoritj' to rest with the States, opposed the constitution, were jealous of Congress, 
and feared too much national power lest a monarchy might be established. The 
nation was agitated by the most earnest and thoughtful as well as the most virulent 
speeches on both sides. W^ithin the year, however, nine States had Tatified the con- 
stitution. This was the number necessary to make it binding, Rhode Island was 
not represented in the convention, and did not accept the constitution until 1790, 



144 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1765. 



Summa?y of the History of the Thh'd ^poch, 
in Chronological Order, 



arra??r/ed 



1765. The Stamp Act passed, March 8, . . . . 

1766. The Stamp Act repealed by Parliament, March 18, . 

1767. A tax imposed on tea, &c,, June 29, . 

1768. British troops arrived at Boston, September 27, 
1770. Boston Massacre, March 5, 

All duties except on tea repealed, April 12, 

1773. The tea thrown overboard in Boston Harbor, Dec. 13, 

1774. " Boston Port Bill " passed, March 31, . 

First Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 

1775. Battle of Lexington, April 19, .... 
Ticonderoga taken by Allen and Arnold, May 10, . 

Crown Point taken. May 12, 

Washington elected commander-in-chief, June 15, . 
Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, .... 

Washington took command of troops before Boston 

July 2, 

Montreal surrendered to Montgomery, November 13, 
Battle of Quebec — Montgomery killed, December 31, 

1776. Boston evacuated by British troops under Lord Howe 

March 17, 

Attack on Fort Moultrie, June 28, . 

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 

Battle of Long Island, August 27, . 

Battle of White Plains, October 28, 

Fort Washington taken, November 10, . 

Washington's retreat through New Jersey, Nov 

and December, 

Battle of Trenton, December 26, . . . 

1777. Battle of Princeton, January 3, . , . 
Murder of Miss McCrea, July 27, . 
Battle of Bennington, August 16, 
Battle of Brandy wine, September 11, 
First battle of Saratoga, September 19, . 
Philadelphia captured by the British, September 25 
Battle of Germantown, October 4, . . . 
Second battle of Saratoga, October 7, 
Surrender of Burgoyne, October 17, 



embc 



1778.] EPOCH III. 145 



PAGE 

1778. Battle of Monmoutli, June 28, 127 

American Independence acknowledged by France, Feb. 6, 126 

Massacre of Wyoming, July 3, 128 

128 
129 
130 



French fleet arrived in Narraganset Bay, July 29, . 
British captured Savannah, Ga., December 29, . 

1779. Stony Point captured by General Wayne, July 15, 
Sullivan defeated tories and Indians near Elmira, N. Y., 

August 29, 131 

Paul Jones's victory, September 23, 132 

Savannah besieged by Americans and French, September 

and October, 129 

D'Estaing and Lincoln repulsed at Savannah, October 9, 129 

1780. Charleston surrendered to British, May 12, . . . 133 
Battle of Hanging Rock, S. C, August 6, . . .134 

Battle of Camden, August 16, 133 

Andr^ executed, October 2, . . . . . . 136 

Battle of King's Mountain, October 7, . . . . 134 

1781. Richmond burned by Arnold, January 5, ... 
Battle of the Cowpens, January 17, . . . . 137 
Greene's celebrated retreat, January and February, . 137 
Battle of Guilford Court House, March 15, . . . 138 
Battle of Eutaw Springs, September 8, . . . .138 
Surrender of Cornwallis, October 19, . . . .140 

1783. Savannah evacuated by British, July 11, 

Treaty of Peace signed at Paris, September 3, . .142 

New York evacuated by British, November 25, 

Washington resigned his commission, December 23, . 142 

1787. Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts, 143 

Constitution of United States adopted in Convention, 

September 17, 143 



DEVELOPWIENT OF THE STATES, 



From 1787— the Adoption of the Constitution, 
To 1861— the Breaking out of the Civil War. 



V^ASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

(FIRST PRESIDENT— TWO TERMS :. 1789-1797.) 

ASKINGS-TON'S Inaugu- 
ration (April 30, 1789).— In 
the choice of the first Presi- 
dent of the United States all 
hearts turned instinctively to 
Washington. With deep re- 
gret, he left his quiet home at 
Mount Vernon for the tu- 
mults of political life. His 
journey to New York* was a 
continual ovation. Crowds of 
gaily-dressed people bearing 
baskets and garlands of flowers, and haihng his appearance 
with shouts of joy, met him at every village.f On the balcony 

* New York was only temporarily the capital. At the second session of Congress 
the seat of government was transferred to Philadelphia, where it was to remain for 
ten years, and then (1800) be removed to the District of Columbia, a tract of land ten 
miles square ceded for this purpose by Maryland and Virginia. Here a city was laid 
out in the midst of a wilderness, containing only here and there a small cottage. 
In 1800 it had eight thousand inhabitants. The "Father of his country" laid 
the corner-stone of the capitol (1793.) The part of this District on the Virginia 
side of the Potomac was (1846) ceded back to that State. 

t George Washington was born February 22, 1732 ; died December 14, 1799. Left 
fatherless at eleven years of age, his education was directed by his mother, a woman 
cf strong character, who kindly, but firmly, exacted the most implicit obedience. Of 
her, Washington learned his first lessons in self-command. Although bashful and 




148 UNITED STATES HISTOllY. [1789. 

of old Federal Hall he took the oath to support the Constitu- 
tion of the United States. 

hesitating in his speech, his language was clear and manly. Having compiled a 
code of morals and good manners for his own use, he rigidly observed all its quaint 
and formal rules. Before his thirteenth year he had copied forms for all kinds of 
legal and mercantile papers. His manuscript school-books, which still exist, are 
models of neatness and accuracy. His favorite amusements were of a military char- 
acter ; he made soldiers of his playmates, and officered all the mock parades. Grave, 
diffident, thoughtful, methodical, and strictly honorable, such was Washington in his 
youth. His inherited wealth was great, and the antiquity of his family gave him 
high social rank. On his Potomac farms he had hundreds of slaves, and at his 
Mount Vernon home, he was like the prince of a wide domain, free from dependence 
or restraint. He was fond of equipage and the appurtenances of high life. Although 
he always rode on horseback, his family had a "chariot and four," with "black 
postilions in scarlet and white livery." This generous style of living, added perhaps 
to his native reserve, exposed him to the charge of aristocratic feeling. While at 
his home, he spent much of his time in riding and hunting. He rose early, ate his 
breakfast of corn-cake, honey, and tea, and then rode about his estates. He spent 
his evenings with his family around the blazing hearth, retii-ing between nine and ten. 
He loved to linger at the table, cracking nuts and relating his adventures. In personal 
appearance, Washington was over six feet in height, robust, graceful, and perfectly 
erect. His manner was formal and dignified. He was more solid than brilliant, and had 
more judgment than genius. He had great dread of public life, cared little for books, 
and had no library. Washington was a consistent Christian, and a regular attendant 
of the Episcopal church, of which he was a communicant. He was a firm advocate of 
free institutions, but believed in a strong government and strictly enforced laws. As 
a President he carefully weighed his decisions, but, his policy once settled, he pur- 
sued it with steadiness and dignity, however great might be the opposition. As an 
officer he was brave, enterprising, and cautious. His campaigns were rarely startling, 
but they were always judicious. He was capable of great endurance. Calm in defeat, 
sober in victory, commanding at all times, but irresistible when aroused, he exercised 
equal authority over himself and his army. His last illness was very brief, and his clos- 
ing hours were marked by his usual calmness and dignity. " I die hard," said he, "but 
I am not afraid to go." Europe and America vied in tributes to his memory. Said 
Lord Brougham, " Until time shall be no more, a test of the progress which our race 
has made in wisdom and virtue will be derived from the veneration paid to the im- 
mortal name of Washington." Washington left no children. It has been beauti- 
fully said, "Providence left him childless that hie country might call him Father." 

QuesHons on the Geography of the Fourth Fpoc h .—liOcaXQ New York. 

Philadelphia. Baltimore. Boston. Washington. Detroit. York. St. John's. 
Montreal. Plattsburg. Schlosser. Sackett's Harbor. Frenchtown. Chi])pewa. 
Stonington. Hartford, New Orleans. Charleston. Sacramento. San Francisco. 
Harper's Ferry. Palmyra. Santa F5. Nauvoo. Mount Vernon. Queenstown 
Heights, Chrysler's Field. Horseshoe Bend. Lundy's Lane. 

Locate Fort Maiden. Port Erie, Port Meigs. Fort Stephenson. Fort Mima. 
Fort McHenry. Port King. Fort Brown. 

Describe the Maumee River. Hudson River. Tippecanoe River. Niagara River. 
St. Lawrence River, Raisin River. Thames River. Columbia River. Rio Grande 
River. Nueces River. Locate Sandusky Bay. Lake Champlain. Tampa Bay. 

Locate Palo Alto, Point Isabel. Resaca de la Palma. Matamoras, Monterey. 
Buena Vista. Vera Cruz. Puebla. Cerro Gordo. The Cordilleras. Contreras. 
Mexico. Cuba, Havana. 



5^3 



'fifm 



:. j>J.<-7 {^^-^ /•- ' / -A -■■■ ^.-^^-.^ ^ V I 




• / , 3 K iii I *r , 




1789.J 



EPOCH IV 



151 



Difficulties beset the new government on every hand. 
The treasury was empty, and the United States had no credit. 
The Indians were hostile. Pirates from the Barbary States 
attacked our ships, and American citizens were languishing in 
Algerine dungeons. Spain reftised us the navigation of the 
Mississippi. England had not yet condescended to send a 
minister to our government, and had made no treaty of com- 
merce with us. We shall see how wisely Washington and his 
cabinet met these difficulties. 




Jefferson. Knox. 



Randolph. Ilan.iltv,!.. Washington. 

Washington's cabinet. 



Domestic Affairs. — Finances. — By the advice of Alex- 
ander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury. Congress agreed to 
assume the debts contracted by the States during the Eevolu- 

* Three executive departments were now egtabliBhed— the Department cf Foreign 
Affairs (now the Department of State), the Department of War, and the Department 
of the Treasury. The heads of these departments were called Secretaries, and, with 
the Attorney-General, formed the President's cabinet. 



152 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1790. 

tion, and to pay the national debt in full. To provide funds, 
taxes were levied on imported goods and the distillation of 
spirits. A mint and a national bank* were established at 
Philadelphia. By these measures the credit of the United 
States was put upon a firm basis-f 

Whisky Rebellion (1794). — Great opposition was made to 
raising money by taxation. In western Pennsylvania it was 
agreed that no tax should be paid on whisky. The rioters 
were so numerous and so thoroughly organized that fifteen 
thousand of the militia were ordered out to subdue them. 
Finding the government in earnest, the malcontents laid down 
their arms. 

Indian Wars. — Two armies sent against the Indians of the 
northwest were defeated. At last General Wayne — "Mad 
Anthony " — was put in command. Little Turtle, the Indian 
chief, now advised peace, declaring that the Americans had 
" a leader who never slept." His counsel was rejected. On 
the Maumee a desperate battle was fought (Aug. 20, 1794). 
"Wayne routed the Indians, chased them for a great distance, 
laid waste their towns for fifty miles, and at last made a treatyj 
whereby they gave up all of what is now Ohio and part of 
Indiana. 

Foreign Affairs. — England. — Hardly had the war closed 
when complaints were made in England that debts could not 
be collected in America. On the other hand the Americans 
charged that the British armies had carried off their negroes. 



* At that time there were only four hanks in the country, i. e., at Philadelphia, 
New York, Boston, and Baltimore; and the circulation of their bills w^ere merely 
local. 

t The credit of these plans belongs to Hamilton. Daniel Webster has eloqtiently 
said of him, "He smote the rock of the national resources, and abundant streams of 
revenue burst forth. He touched the dead corpse of public credit, and it sprang upon 
its feet." 

t He told them, it is said, that if they ever violated this agreement he would rise 
from bis grave to fight them. He was long remembered by the western Indians. 



1794] EPOCH IV. 153 

that posts were still held on the frontier, and that our seamen 
were impressed. Chief Justice Jay was sent as envoy extra-, 
ordinary to England. He negotiated a treaty, which was rati- 
fied by the Senate (1795), after the most violent opposition.* 

Spain and Algiers. — The same year a treaty was made with 
Spain, securing to the United States the free navigation of the 
Mississippi, and fixing the boundary of Florida, still held by 
that nation. Just before this, a treaty had been concluded 
with Algiers, by which our captives were released, and the 
commerce of the Mediterranean opened to American vessels. 

France. — The Americans warmly sympathized with France, 
and when war broke out between that country and England, 
Washington had great difficulty in preserving neutrality. He 
saw that the true American pohcy was to keep free from all 
European alliances. Genet, (je-na), the French minister, 
relying on the popular feeling, went so far as to fit out priva- 
teers in the United States ports to prey on British commerce. 
He also tried to arouse the people against the government. 
At length, at Washington's request. Genet was recalled. But, 
as we shall see, the difficulty did not end. 

Political Parties. — During the discussion of these various 
questions two parties had arisen. Jefferson, Madison, and Ran- 
dolphf were the leaders of the republican party, which opposed 
the United States Bank, the Enghsh treaty, and the assump- 
tion of the State debts. Hamilton and Adams were the leaders 



* This treaty enforced the payment of the English debts, but did not in turn forbid 
the impressment of American seamen. Its advocates were threatened by angry 
mobs with personal violence. Hamilton was stoned at a public meeting. Insults 
were offered to the British minister, and Jay was burned in effigy. The more quiet 
people expressed their indignation by passing resolutions condemning the action of 
the Senate. 

t. John Randolph of Roanoke was a descendant of Pocahontas, of which fact he 
often boasted. He was noted for his keen retorts, reckless wit, and skill in debate. 
He was tall, slender, and cadaverous. His voice, shrill and piping, and his fingers, 
long and skinny, generally pointed toward the object of his invective, made him a 
conspicuous speaker. 



154 OKITED STATES HISTORY. [1796. 

of the federalist party, which supported the administration * 
Washington having dechned to serve a third term, now issued 
his famous farewell address. So close was the contest hetween 
the rival parties that Adams, the federalist candidate, was 
elected President by a majority of only two electoral votes 
ever Jefferson, the republican nominee. 



ADAMS'S ADMINISTRATION.! 

(SECOND PRESIDENT: 1797-1801.) 

Domestic Affairs. — Alien and Sedition Laws. — Giving 
to the violent denunciations of the government by the friends 
and emissaries of France, the alien and sedition laws were 
passed. Under the former, the President could expel from the 
country any foreigner whom he deemed injurious to the 
United States; under the latter, -any one libelling Congress, 



* The federalists favored the granting of power to the general government, which 
they thought should he made strong. The republicans, fearing lest the republic 
should become a monarchy and the President a king, opposed this idea and advo- 
cated State rights. In this election the republicans were accused of being friends 
of France, and the federalists of being attached to Great Britain and its institutions. 
The republicans declared themselves to be the only true friends of the people, and 
stigmatized all others as aristocrats and monarchists. 

t John Adams was born 1735 ; died 1826. He was a member of the first and second 
Congress, and nominated Washington as commander-in-chief. Jefferson Avrote the 
Declaration of Independence, but Adams secured its adoption in a three-days debate. 
He was a tireless worker, and had the reputation of having the clearest head and 
firmest heart of any man in Congress. In his position as President he lost the repu- 
tation he had gained as Congressman. His enemies accused him of being a bad 
judge of men, of clinging to old unpopular notions, and of having little control over 
his temper. They also ridiculed his egotism, which they declared to be inordinate. 
He lived, however, to see the prejudice against his administration give place to a 
juster estimate of his great worth and exalted integrity. As a delegate to the Con- 
stitutional Convention he was honored as one of the fathers of the republic. Adams 
and Jefferson were firm friends during the Revolution, but political strife alienated 
ihem. On their return to private life they became reconciled. They died on the 
same day— the fiftieth anniversary of American independence. Adams's last words 
were, "Thomas Jefferson still survives." Jefferson was, however, already lying 
dead in bis Virginia home. Thus, by the passing away of these two remarkable 
men, was made memorable the 4th of July, 1826. 



1798.] EPOCH IV. 155 

the President, or tlie government, could be fined or impris- 
oned. This was a most unpopular measure, and excited the 
bitterest feeling. 

Foreign Affairs. — France. — French afiairs early assumed 
a serious aspect. Our flag was insulted, our vessels were cap- 
tured, and our envoys were refused audience by the French 
Directory unless a bribe should be paid.* The news of this 
insult aroused tlie nation. The friends of France were 
silenced. An army was ordered to be raised, and Washington 
was appointed commander-in-chief. Hostilities had com- 
menced on the sea, but when Napoleon became the First 
Consul of France the war was happily arrested. 

Political Parties. — An intense party feeling prevailed 
during the entire administration. The unpopularity of the 
ahen and sedition laws, especially, reduced the vote for 
Adams, the federal candidate for re-election, and the repubh ^ 
can nominee, Jefferson, became the next President 



JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION.! 

(THIRD PRESIDEKT— TWO TERMS : 1801-1809.) 

Domestic Affairs. — Purchase of Louisiana (1803). — 
The most important event of Jefferson's administration was 

* William Pinckney— oui- envoy to France— indignantly replied, "Millions for 
defence, but not one cent for tribute." 

t Thomas Jefferson was bom 1743 ; died 1826. " Of all the public men who havp 
figured in tho United States," says Parton, " he was incomparably the best scholar 
and the most variously accomplished man." He was a bold horseman, a skilful 
hunter, an elegant penman, a fine violinist, a brilliant talker, a superior classical 
scholar, and a proficient in the modem languages. On account of his talents he was 
styled "The Sage of Monticello." That immortal document, the Declaration of In- 
dependence, was, with the exception of a few words, entirely his work. He was an 
ardent supporter of the doctrine of State rights, and led the opposition to the feder- 
alists. After he became President, however, he found the difficulty of administering 
the government upon that theory. " The executive authority had to be stretched 



156 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1803. 

the purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon.* Over one milUon 
square miles of land and the fuU possession of the Mississippi 
were obtamed for $15,000,000.t 

Aaron Burr, the Vice-President, was Alexander Hamilton's 
bitter rival, both in law and in pohtics, and at last challenged 
him to a duel. Hamilton accepted. The affair took place at 
Weehawken (July 11, 1804). Hamilton fell at the first fire, 
on the very spot where his eldest son had been killed shortly 
before, in the same manner. His death produced the most 
profound sensation. Burr afterward went west and organized 
an expedition with the avowed object of forming a settlement 
in northern Mexico. Being suspected, however, of a design 
to break up the Union and found a separate confederacy 
beyond the Alleghanies, he was arrested and tried (1807) on a 
charge of treason. J Although acquitted for want of proof, he 
yet remained an outcast. 



nnta it cracked, to cover the purchase of Louisiana ;" and he became convinced on 
other occasions that the federal government, to use his own expression, must 
"show its teeth." Like Washington, he was of aristocratic birth, but his 
principles were intensely democratic. He hated ceremonies and titles; even 
"Mr." was distasteful to him. These traits were the more remarkable in one of his 
superior birth and education, and peculiarly endeared him to the common people. 
Coming into power on a wave of popularity, he studiously sought to retain this 
favor. There were no more brilliant levees or courtly ceremonies as in the days of 
Washington and Adams. On his inauguration day he rode down to Congress unat- 
tended, and, leaping from bis horse, hitched it, and went into the chamber dressed in 
plain clothes to read his fifteen-minutes inaugural. Some of the sentences of that 
short but memorable address have passed into proverbs. The unostentatious ex- 
ample thus set by the nation's President was wise in its effects. Soon the public 
debt was diminished, the army and navy reduced, and the treasury replenished. 
A man of such marked character necessarily made bitter enemies, but Jefferson 
commanded the respect of even his opponents, while the admiration of his friends 
was unbounded. The last seventeen years of his life were passed at Monticello, near 
the place of his birth. By his profuse hospitality, he had, long before his death, 
spent his vast estates. He died poor in money, but ricb in honor. His last words 
were, " This is the fourth day of July." 

* It had just been ceded by Spain to France. 

+ " This accession of territory," said Napoleon, " strengthens forever the power 
of the United States, and I have just given to England a maritime- rival that will 
sooner or later humble her pride." Out of this magnificent domain we have since 
cut ten States, two Territories, and parts of two other States. 

X While awaiting his trial, Burr was committed to the common jail. There, 



1807.] 



EPOCH IV. 



157 




THE FIRST STEAMBOAT. 



Fulton's Steamboat. — This year (1807) was rendered mem- 
orable by the voyage _ 

from New York to Al- 
bany of Kobert Ful- 
ton's steamboat, the 
Clermont. For years 
the Hudson boasted the 
only steamboat in the 
world. 

Foreign Affairs.— 
War with Trijjoli. — The Barbary States, of which Tripoh 
is one, for many years sent out cruisers which captured 
vessels of all Christian nations, and held their crews as slaves 
until ransomed. The United States, like the European 
nations, was accustomed to pay annual tribute to these pirates 
to secure exemption from their attacks. The Bashaw of 
Tripoli at last became so haughty that he declared war (1801) 
against the United States. Jefferson sent a fleet which block- 
aded* the port and repeatedly bombarded the city of Tripoli. 
The fi-ightened Bashaw was at last glad to make peace.f 

England and France. — During this time England and 
France were engaged in a desperate struggle. England tried 
to prevent trade with France, and, in turn, Napoleon forbade 

its wretched inmates, stripped of all his honors, lay the man who once lacked hut 
a single vote to make him President of the United States. 

* During this hlockade a valiant exploit was performed by Lieutenant Decatur. 
The frigate Philadelphia had unfortunately grounded and fallen into the enemy's 
hands. Concealing his men below, he entered the harbor with a small vessel, which 
he warped alongside the Philadelphia, in the character of a ship in distress. As the 
two vessels struck, the pirates first suspected his design. Instantly he leaped 
aboard with his men, swept the affrighted crew into the sea, set the ship on fire, and 
amid a tremendous cannonade from the batteries, escaped without the loss of a 
man. 

t In addition to the alarm created by the bombardment, the Bashaw was threatened 
on land. He had usurped the throne and driven his brother Hamet into exile. Wil- 
liam Eaton, the American consul at Tunis, concerted a plan for Hamet's restoration. 
Recruiting a motley army, of whom only nine were Americans, he marched across 
the desert, and suddenly appearing before Deme, captured it by assault. 



158 UKITED STATES HISTORY. [1807. 

all commerce with England. As the United States were 
neutral, they did most of the caiTying trade of Europe. Our 
vessels thus became the prey of both the hostile nations. Be- 
sides, England claimed the right of stopping American vessels 
on the high seas, searching for seamen of English birth,* and 
pressing them into the British navy.f The feeling, already 
deep, was intensified when the British frigate Leopard fired 
into the American frigate Chesapeake, off the coast of Virginia. 
The American vessel, being wholly unprepared for battle, soon 
struck her colors. Four of the crew, three being Americans 
by birth, were taken, on the pretence that they were deserters. 
Jefferson immediately ordered all British vessels of war to 
quit the w^aters of the United States. Though England dis- 
avowed the act, no reparation was made. An embargo was 
then laid by Congress on American vessels, forbidding them to 
leave port. This was so injurious to our commerce that it 
w^as removed, but all intercourse with England or France was 
forbidden. 

Political Parties. — While the country was in this fever- 
ish state, Jefferson's second term expired. James Madison, the 
republican candidate, who was closely in sympathy with his 
views, was elected as his successor by a large majority. The 
republicans were generally in favor of a war with England. 
The federalists, however, were a strong minority, and through- 
out this administration warmly opposed the war pohcy of the 
republicans. 

* The American doctrine was that a foreigner coitM be naturahzed and thus 
become an American citizen, enjoying all the privileges of Amei'ican citizenship 
The British doctrine was, " Once an Englishman, always an Englishman." 

t At one time there were more than six thousand names on the books of the State 
Department, registered as having been thus forced into the British navy, and it was 
thought that there were probably as many more not reported. Through the indiffer- 
ence of the officers many native Americans were in this way cruelly driven into the 
English service. 



1809.] EPOCH IV. 159 

MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FOURTH TRESIDENT-TWO TERMS: 1809-1817.) 

Domestic Affairs. — Battle of Tippecanoe (November 7, 
1811). — British emissaries had been busy arousing the Indians 
to war. Tecumseh, a famous chief, seized the opportunity to 
form a confederacy of the northwestern tribes. General Har- 
rison having been sent against them with a strong force, was 
treacherously attacked by night near the Tippecanoe. The 
Indians, however, were routed with great slaughter. 

Foreign Affairs. — England. — This war greatly aroused 
the people of the west against England. The impressment 
of our seamen and the capture of our ships continued. The 
British government went so far as to send war vessels into our 
waters to seize our ships as prizes. The American frigate 
President having hailed the British sloop-of-war Little Belt, 
received a cannon shot in reply. The fire was returned, and 
the sloop soon disabled; a civil answ^er was then returned. 
The British government refusing to rehnquish its offensive 

* James Madison was born in Virginia in 1751 ; died 1836. Entering Congress in 
1789, he became one of the strongest advocates of the Constitution, and did much to 
secure its adoption. From his political principles he was obliged, though reluc- 
tantly, to oppose Washington's administration, which he did in a courteous and 
temperate manner. He led his party in Congress, where he remained till 1797. The 
next year he drafted the famous " 1798-99 Resolutions," enunciating the doctrine of 
State rights, which, with the accompanying " Report " in their defence, have been 
the great text-book of the democratic party. He was Secretary of State to Jeflerson. 
After his Presidential services, he retired from public station. Madison's success 
was not so much the result of a great natural ability as of intense application and 
severe accuracy. His mind was strong, clear, and wcH balanced, and his memory 
was wonderful. Like John Quincy Adams, he had laid up a great store of learning, 
which he used in the most skilful manner. He always exhausted the subject upon 
which he spoke. "When he had finished, nothing remained lo be said." His 
private character was spotless. His manner was simple, modest, and uniformly 
courteous to his opponents. He enjoyed wit and humor, and tokl a story admirably. 
His sunny temper remained with him to the last. Some friends coming to visit him 
duriui; \\U final illness, he sank smilingly back on his couch, saying, "I always talk 
better when I liey It has been said of him, " It was his rare good fortune to have a 
whole nation for his friends." 



160 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1812. 

course, all hope of peace was abandoned.* Finally (June 
19th, 1812), war was formally declared against Great Britain. 



SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 
1812-14. 

Surrender of Detroit (August 16). — As in the previous 
wars, it was determined to invade Canada. General WilHam 
Hull accordingly crossed over from Detroit and encamped on 
Canadian soil. Here he issued a proclamation offering the 
benefits of liberty to the oppressed inhabitants. While he 
was preparing to attack Fort Maiden (maul-den), he learned 
that the British and Indians were gathering to attack him. 
He, therefore, ignominiously retreated to Detroit. Here he 
was pursued by a force of British under General Brock, and 
Indians under Tecumseh. As they marched to attack the 
fort, and the Americans, drawn up, expected eveiy instant the 
order to fire, HuU seemed to lose all presence of mind. In an 
agony of fear, while his men, it is said, wept at the disgrace, 
he raised the white flag. Without even stipulating for the 
honors of war, he surrendered not only Detroit, with its garri- 
sons and stores, but the whole of Michigan. 

Battle of Queenstown Heights (October 13). — Late 
in summer, another attempt was made to invade Canada. 
General Van Eensselaer (ren'-se-ler) finding that his men 
were eager for a fight, sent a small body across the Niagara 
Kiver to attack the British at Queenstown Heights. The 
Enghsh were driven from their position, and General Brock 
killed. General Van Eensselaer now returned to the Ameri- 
can shore to bring over the rest of the army ; but the militia 

* Madison, whose disposition was very pacific, hesitated so long, that one of the 
federalists declared in Congress that "he could not he kicked into a fight.'/ This 
expression passed into a proverb. 



1812.J EPOCH IV. 161 

had lost their courage, and denying the constitutional right of 
their commander to take them out of the State, refused to 
embark. Meantime their comrades on the Canadian shore, 
thus basely abandoned, after a desperate struggle, were com- 
pelled to surrender. 

Naval Victories. — These signal disgraces by land were in 
striking contrast to the successes on the sea.* 

Constitution and Giierriere (August 9). — The fight off 
the coast of Massachusetts, between the American frigate Con- 
stitution (popularly called Old Ironsides) and the Guerriere 
(gare-e-are) is memorable.f The latter vessel opened fire first. 
Captain Isaac Hull \ refused to answer until he had brought 
his ship into the exact position he desired, when he poured 
broadside after broadside into his antagonist, sweeping her 
deck, shattering her hull, and cutting her masts and rigging 
to pieces. The entire action lasted two hours, when the Guer- 
riere surrendered. § She was so badly injured that she could 



* It is a noticeable fact that the administration never favored the idea of a navy, 
and did nothing to foster it. It was a neglected child from the first. Jefferson advo- 
cated the construction of small gunboats only for harbor use. One hundred and fifty 
of these useless things were ordered. The navy was so small that in 1814 it had 
almost disappeared, and at one time not a national vessel floated the United Statei5 
flag. But, small as it was, during 1812-13, it humbled the pride of the " Mistress of 
the Seas." 

t The Guerriere was in search of an American frigate, having given a formal chal- 
lenge to any vessel of that description. At her mast-head was a flag with ''Not the 
Little Belt" upon it, alluding to the vessel of that name so easily defeated by the 
President the year before. 

X Nephew of General Hull. His bravery retrieved the name from its disgrace. 

§ " Captain Hull sent an officer to take possession of the Guerriere. When he 
arrived alongside, he demanded of the commander of the English frigate if he had 
struck. Dacres was extremely reluctant to make this concession in plain terms, 
but, with a shrewdness which would have done honor to a Yankee, endeavored to 
evade the question. ' I do not know that it would be prudent to continue the en- 
gagement any longer,' said he. ' Do I understand you to say that you have struck ?' 
inquired the American lieutenant. ' Not precisely,' returned Dacres ; ' but I don't 
know that it will be worth while to fight any longer.' ' If you cannot decide, I will 
return aboard,' replied the Yankee, ' and we will resume the engagement.' ' Why, 
I am pretty much Jiors de combat already,' said Dacres ; ' I have hardly men enough 
left to work a gun, and my ship is in a sinking condition.' 'I wish to know, sir,' 
peremptorily demanded the American officer, ' whether I am to consider you as a 



162 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1812. 



not be brought into port ; while the Old Ironsides, in a few 
hours, was ready for another fight. 

Frotic and Wasp (October 13). — The next noted achieve- 
ment was the defeat of the English brig Frolic by the sloop- 
of-war Wasp, off the coast of North Carolina. When the 




C.vnLKfc. DF I HE 1 IX LU 



former was boarded by her captors, her colors were still flying, 
there being no one to haul them down. The man at the 
lielm was the only sailor left on deck unharmed. 

Other victories followed. Privateers scoured every sea, in- 
flicting untold injury on the British commerce. During the 
year over three hundred prizes were captured. 



prisoner of war or an enemy. I have no time for further parley.' ' I believe there is 
now no alternative. If I could fi<:jht lonjjcr, I would with pleasure ; but I— must — 
surrender— myself— « prisoner of war! ' " 



1812.] EPOCH IV. 163 

Ejfect of these Naval Victories. — Enthusiasm was aroused, 
and confidence inspired. Volunteer corps were formed. 
Madison was re-elected, thus stamping his war policy with 
popular approval. 

1813. 

Plan of the Campaign. — Three armies were raised : 
(1) the Army of the Centre, under General Dearborn, on the 
Niagara Eiver; (2) the Army of the North, under General 
Hampton, along Lake Champlain ; and (3) the Army of the 
West, under General Harrison, of Tippecanoe fame. All three 
were ultimately to invade Canada. Proctor was the British 
general, and Tecumseh had command of his Indian allies. 

The Armies of the Centre and the North did little. 
General Dearborn* attacked York, General Pike gallantly lead- 
ing the assault. Unfortunately in the moment of success the 
magazine blew up, killing Pike and making sad havoc among 
his men. Dearborn did nothing, and soon after resigned. 
General Wilkinson, his successor, was directed to descend the 
St. Lawrence in boats, and join General Hampton in an at- 
tack on Montreal. At Chrysler's Field he repulsed the Brit- 
ish, but owing to a disagreement with General Hampton he 
returned. General Hampton went north as far as St. John's, 
where he was defeated by the British. He then made the 
best of his way back to Plattsburg, where, in tlie winter, he 
was joined by General Winchester's men. Thus ingloriously 
ended the campaign of these two armies. 

Army of the West. — A detachment of General Harri- 
son's men was captured f at French town, on the River Raisin, 



* The Britii*h, hearing that Dearborn had sailed away from Sackett's Harbor with 
the fleet, immediately made an attack on that place. They were bravely repulsed by 
General Brown and a few regulars. 

t This party was stationed on the Maumee, under General Winchester. Having 
learned that the people of Frenchtown feared an attack from the Indians, he allowed 



164 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1813. 

by Proctor, who tlien besieged Harrison himself at Fort 
Meigs (megz). Repulsed here, Proctor stormed Fort Stephen- 
son, garrisoned only by one hundred and fifty men under 
Major Croghan, a young man of twenty-one. Beaten agam, 
he returned to Maiden. As yet, however, the British held 
Michigan and threatened Ohio, and the land forces had been 
as unsuccessful this year as they were the preceding, when 
a glorious triumph on Lake Erie gave a new aspect to the 
campaign. 

Perry's Victory (September 10). — When Captain Perry, 
then only twenty-seven years old, was assigned the command 
of the flotilla on Lake Erie, the British were undisputed 
masters of the lake, while his fleet was to be, in part, made out 
of the trees in the forest. By indefatigable exertion he got 
iiine vessels carrying fifty-four guns ready for action, when the 
British fleet of six vessels and sixty-three guns bore down 
upon his httle squadron.* Perry's flag-ship, the Lawrence,! 
engaged two of the heaviest vessels of the enemy, and fought 
them till but eight of his men were left. He helped these to 
fire the last gun, and then leaping into a boat bore his flag to 



his military judgment to yield to his humanity, and marched to their relief. He 
defeated the enemy, but was soon attacked by a body of fifteen hundred British 
and Indians under Proctor. Winchester, being captured in the course of the battle, 
agreed to the surrender of his men under the solemn promise that their lives and 
property should be safe. Proctor, however, immediately returned to Maiden with 
the British, leaving no guard over the American wounded. Thereupon the Indians, 
maddened by liquor and the desire of revenge, mercilessly tomahawked many, set 
fire to the houses where others lay, and carried the survivors to Detroit, where they 
were dragged through the streets and offered for sale at the doors of the inhabitants. 
Many of the women of that place gave for their ransom every article of value which 
they possessed. The troops were Kentuckians, and the war-cry of their sons was 
henceforth " Kemember the Raisin."— The great object of the Indians in battle was 
to get scalps, Proctor paying a regular bounty for every one brought in. They were 
therefore loth to take prisoners. Proctor, brutal and haughty, was a fit leader under 
a government that would employ savages in a civilized warfare. 

* Perry had never seen a naval battle, while Captain Barclay, the British com- 
mander, was one of Nelson's veterans, and had lost an arm in the service. 

+ From its mast-head floated a blue pennant, bearing the words of the dyin^ Law- 
rence, " Don't give up the ship." (See p. 166.) 



1813.] EPOCH IV. . 165 

the Niagara. He had to pass within pistol-shot of the British, 
who turned their guns directly upon him; and though he 
was a fair mark for every shot, he escaped without injury. 
Breaking through the enemy's line and firing right and left, 
within fifteen mmutes after he mounted the deck of the 
Niagara the victory was won. Perry at once wrote General 
Harrison, " We have met the enemy, and they are ours." This 
laconic despatch produced intense excitement throughout the 
country. Upon the result of this battle depended, as we shall 
see, important issues. 

Battle of the Thames. — Proctor and Tecumseh were at 
Maiden Avith their motley array of British and Indians, two 
thousand strong, waiting to lay waste the frontier. Harrison, 
at Sandusky Bay, was nearly ready to invade Canada, and at 
the news of this victory pushed across the lake. Landing at 
Maiden, which he found deserted, Harrison hotly pursued the 
flying enemy. He overtook them on the River Thames 
(temz). Dramng up his troops, he ordered Colonel Johnson, 
with his Kentucky horsemen, to charge the English in front. 
Dashing through the forest, they broke the enemy's line, and 
forming in their rear prepared to pour in a deadly fire. The 
British surrendered. Proctor escaped by the swiftness of his 
horse. Johnson pushed forward to attack the Indians. In 
the heat of the action, a bullet, said to have been fired by 
Johnson himself, struck Tecumseh. With his death the 
savages lost all hope, and fled in confusion. 

Effect. — This victory, with Perry's, relieved Michigan, gave 
control of Lake Erie, and virtually decided the war. Gen- 
eral Harrison returned amid the plaudits of the nation. 

Naval Battles. — The American navy achieved some bril- 
liant successes during the year, but was not uniformly vic- 
torious. 

ChesapeaJce and SJiannon. — Captain Lawrence, of the 



166 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1813. 

Hornet, having captured the British brig Peacock, on his 
return was placed in command of the Chesapeake, the ill- 
starred frigate which struck her flag to the Leopard off the 
coast of Virginia. While refitting his vessel at Boston, a 
challenge was sent in for him to fight the Shannon, then lying 
off the harbor. Lawrence, although part of his crew were 
discharged, and the unpaid remainder were almost mutinous, 
consulted only his own heroic spirit, and at once put to sea. 
The action was brief. A hand grenade bursting in the Chesa- 
peake's arm-chest, the enemy took advantage of the confusion, 
and boarded her. A scene of carnage ensued. Lawrence, 
mortally wounded, was carried below. As he left the deck he 
exclaimed, "Don't give up the ship." But the feeble crew 
were soon overpowered, and the colors hauled down. 

War with the Creeks. — Tecumseh had been (1811) 
among the Alabama Indians, and aroused them to take up 
arms against the Americans. They accordingly formed a 
league (1813), and fell upon Fort Mims, massacring the 
garrison and the defenceless women and children. Volun- 
teers flocked in from all sides to avenge this horrid deed. 
Under General Jackson they drove the Indians from one place 
to another, until they took refuge on the Horseshoe Bend, 
w^here they fortified themselves for the last battle* (March 27, 
1814). The soldiers, with fixed bayonets, scaled their breast- 
work. The Creeks fought with the energy of despair. Six 
hundred were killed. Those who escaped were glad to make 
peace on any terms. 

Ravages on the Atlantic Coast. — Early in the spring 



* An event occurred on Jackson's march which illustrates his iron will. For a 
long time his soldiers suffered extremely from famine. At last they mutinied. Gen- 
eral Jackson rode before the ranks. His left arm, shattered by a ball, was disabled, 
but in his rif,'ht he held a mnsket. Sternly ordci-in;^: the men back to their place, he 
declared he would shoot the first who advanced. No one stirred, and at last all 
returned to duty. 



1813.] 



EPOCH IV 



167 



the British commenced devastating the southern coast.* Ad- 
miral Cockburn, especially, disgraced the British navy by con- 
duct worse than that of Cornwallis in the Revolution. Along 
the Virginia and Carohna coast he burned bridges, farm- 
houses, and villages ; robbed the inhabitants of their crops, 
stock, and slaves; plundered churches of their communion 
services, and murdered the sick in their beds. 




MILLER AT LL'NDV S LANE. 



1814. 

Battle of Lundy's Lane (July 25). — The American 
army, under General Brown, crossing the Niagara River, 
once more, and for the last time, invaded Canada. Fort 
Erie having been taken. General Winfield Scott, leading the 



* New England was spared from a general belief that the northern States were 
anfriendly to the war, and would yet return to their allegiance to Great Britain. 



168 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1814. 

advance, attacked the British at Cliii^pewa (July 5), and 
gained a brilliant victory. A second engagement was fought 
at Lundy's Lane, opposite Niagara Falls. Here, within sound 
of that mighty cataract, occurred one of the bloodiest battles 
of the war. General Scott had only one thousand men, but 
he maintained the unequal contest until dark. A battery, 
located on a height, was the key to the British position. 
Calling Colonel Miller to his side, the commander asked 
him if he could take it. " I'll try, sir," was the fearless reply. 
Heading his regiment, he steadily marched up the height 
and secured the coveted position. Three times the British 
rallied for its re-capture, but as many times were hurled 
back. At midnight they retired from the field. This victory, 
though glorious to the American army, was barren of direct 
results. 

Battle of Lake Champlain (September 11). — All but 
fifteen hundred of the troops at Plattsburg had gone to rein- 
force General Brown. Prevost, the commander of the Britich 
army in Canada, learning this fact, took twelve thousand 
veteran soldiers, who had served under Wellington, and 
marched against that place. As he advanced to the attack, 
the British fleet on Lake Champlain assailed the American 
squadron under Commodore McDonough.* The attacking 
squadron was nearly annihilated. The little army in Platts- 
burg, by their vigorous defence, prevented Prevost from cross- 
ing the Saranac Kiver. When he found that his ships were 
lost, he fled precipitately, leaving his sick and wounded, and 
large quantities of military stores. 

Ravages on the Atlantic Coast. — The British block- 
ade extended this year to the north. Commerce was so com- 
pletely destroyed that the lamps in the light-houses were 

* One of his vessels he had built in twenty days, from trees growing on the bank 
of the lake. 



1814.] EPOCH IV. 169 

extinguished as being of use only to the English. Several 
towns in Maine were captured, Stonington, Conn., was 
bombarded. Cockburn continued his depredations along the 
Chesapeake. General Koss marched to Washington, burned 
the capitol (August 24) and other pubhc buildings, libraries 
and records, together with private dwellings and storehouses. 
He then sailed around by sea to attack Baltimore. The ti^oops 
disembarking (September 12) below, were to move upon the 
city by land,* while the fleet should bombard Fort McHenry 
from the river. Meeting, however, with a severe resistance, 
and the fleet having made no impression on the fort,f the 
army retired to their ships. 

The greatest excitement was produced by these events. 
Eveiy seaport was fortified. Militia were organized. Citizens 
of all ranks labored with their own hands in throwing up 
defences. Bitter reproaches were cast upon the administra- 
tion because of its mode of conducting the war. Delegates 
from New England States met at Hartford (December 15) to 
discuss this subject. The meeting was branded with odium 
by the friends of the administration. To be called a Hart- 
ford Convention Federahst, was a term of reproach. 

Peace, as afterward appeared, was made even before the 

convention adjourned. The treaty was signed at Ghent, 

December 24. Before, however, the news had reached this 

country, a terrible, and, as it proved, unnecessaiy battle had 

, been fought in the south. 

Battle of Nevr Orleans (January 8, 1815). — A power- 
ful fleet and a force of twelve thousand men, under General 

* While the British troops were marching toward Baltimore, General Ross rode 
forward with a part of his staff, to reconnoitre. Two mechanics, who were in a tree 
watching their advance, fired upon them, and Ross fell mortally wounded. The two 
patriots were instantly shot. 

t During the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Francis S. Key, an American de- 
tained on board of an English vessel, wrote the national song "The Star Spangled 
Banner." 



170 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1815. 



Pakenham undertook the capture of New Orleans. General 
Jackson, anticipating this advance, had thrown up intrench- 
ments* several miles below the city. The British advanced 





BATTLE OF NEW ORLcW^. 



steadily,! in solid columns, heedless of the artilleiy fire which 
swept their ranks, until they came within range of the Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee riflemen, when they wavered. Their 
officers rallied them again and again. General Pakenham. 
fell in the arms of the same officer who had caught General 

* Jackson at first made his intrenchments in part of cotton bales, but a red-hot 
cannon ball having fired the cotton and scattered the burning fragments among the 
barrels of gunpowder, it was found necessary to remove the cotton entirely. The 
only defence of the Americans in this battle was a bank of earth, five feet high, and a 
ditch in front. 

1 The British were tried and disciplined troops, while very few of the Americans 
had ever seen fighting. Besides, the British were nearly double their number. But 
our men were accustomed to the use of the rifle, and were the best marksmen in the 
world. 



1815.] EPOCH IV. 171 

Boss as lie fell at Baltimore. Neither discipline nor bravery 
could prevail. General Lambert, who succeeded to the com- 
mand, drew off his men in the night, hopelessly defeated, after 
a loss of over two thousand; while the American loss was 
but seven killed and six wounded. 

Results of the War. — The treaty left the question of im- 
pressment unsettled, yet it was tacitly understood, and was 
never revived. The national debt was $127,000,000, but 
within twenty years it was paid from the ordinary revenue. 
The United States had gained the respect of European na- 
tions, and the superiority of the American navy was fully 
established.* American militia had beaten Wellington's vet- 
erans. The impossibility of any foreign power gaining per- 
manent foothold on our territory was proved. The fruitless 
invasion of Canada by the militia, compared with the brave 
defence of their own territory by the same men, proved that 
the strength of the United States consisted in defensive war- 
fare. Extensive manufactories were estabhshed to supply 
the place of the Enghsh goods cut off by the blockade. This 
branch of industry continued to thrive after peace, though for 
a time depressed by the quantity of English goods thrown on 
the market. The immediate evils of the war were apparent : 
trade ruined, commerce gone, no specie to be seen, and a 
general depression. Yet the wonderful resources of the coun- 
try were shown by the rapidity with which it entered upon a 
new career of prosperity. 

Political Parties. — When Madison's term of office ex- 
pired, the federalist party had been broken up by its opposi- 
tion to the war. James Monroe, the Presidential candidate 

* The Algerines had taken advantage of the war with England to renew their 
depreciations on American commerce. Decatur, in May, 1815, was sent with a squad- 
ron to ri^ht matters in that quarter. Proceeding to Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, he 
obtained the liberation of American prisoners, and full indemnity for all losses, with 
pledges for the future. The United States was the first nation to effectually resist 
the demands of the Barbary pirates for tribute. 



172 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1816. 

of the republican party, was alraost unanimously elected. He 
was generally beloved, and all parties united in his support. 



MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FIFTH PRESIDENT— TWO TEEMS: 1817-1825.) 

Monroe's administration was one of general prosperity. 
After the ravages of war, the attention of aU was turned to 
the building up of the country, and to the development of its 
internal resources. 

Domestic Affairs. — The Missouri Compromise. — When 
the admission of Missouri as a State was proposed, a violent 
discussion arose as to whether it should be free or slave.f 

* James Monroe was bom 1758; died 1831. As a soldier under General Washing- 
ton, he bore a brave record, and especially distinguished himself in the battles of 
Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. Afterward, he studied law, and entered 
political life. Having been sent by Washington as Minister to France, he showed 
such marked sympathy with that country as to displease the President and his 
cabinet, who were just concluding a treaty with England, and wished to preserve 
a strictly neutral policy. He was therefore recalled. Under Jefferson, who was 
his warm friend, he was again sent to France in 1803, when he secured the pur- 
chase of Louisiana. He is said to have always taken particular pride in this trans- 
action, regarding his part in it as among the most important of his public services. 
Soon after his inauguration as President, he visited all the military posts in the 
north and ^'^st, with a view to thorough acquaintance with the capabilities of the 
country in the event of future hostilities. This tour was a great success. He wore 
a blue military coat of homespun, light-colored breeches, and a cocked hat, being the 
undress uniform of a Revolutionary officer. Thus was the nation reminded of his 
former military services. This, with his plain and unassuming manners, completely 
won the hearts of the people, and brought an overwhelming majority to the support 
of the administration. Monroe was a man more prudent than brilliant, who acted 
with a single eye to the welfare of his country. Jefferson said of him : " If his soul 
were turned inside out, not a spot would be found on if." Like that loved friond, 
he died "poor in money, but rich in honor;" and like him also, he passed away on 
the anniversary of the independence of the country he had served so faithfully. 

t The question of slavery was already one of vast importance. At first slaves 
were owned in the northern as well as the southern States. But at the North, slave 
labor was unprofitable, and it had gradually died out ; while at the South it was a 
success, and hence had steadily increased. In 1793, Eli Whitney, of Connecticut, in- 
vented the cotton-gin, a machine for cleaning cotton from the seed, an operation 
before performed by hand, and very expensive. (See Appleton's Cyclopa3dia.) This 
gave a new impulse to cotton raising. Sugar and tobacco also, great staples of the 
South, were cultivated exclusively by slave labor. 



1821.] EPOCH IV. 173 

Finally it was admitted as a slave State (1821), with tlie com- 
promise advocated by Henry Clay, that slavery should be pro- 
hibited in all other territories west of the Mississippi and north 
of parallel 36° 30', the southern boundary of Missouri. 

La Fayette^ s Visit to this country (1824) as " the nation's 
guest" was a joyous event. He traveled through each of the 
twenty-four States, and was everywhere welcomed with de- 
light. His visit to the tomb of Washington was full of affec- 
tionate remembrance. He was carried home in a national 
vessel, the Brandywine, named in honor of the battle in which 
La Fayette first drew his sword in behalf of the colonies. 

Foreign Affairs. — Florida. — A treaty was made with 
Spam (1819) by which Florida was ceded to the United States. 

Monroe Doctrine. — In one of President Monroe's messages 
he advocated a principle since famous as the Monroe Doctrine, 
He declared that any attempt by a European nation to gain 
dominion in America would be considered by the United 
States as an unfriendly act. 

Political Parties. — Divisions now became apparent in the 
great party which had twice so triumphantly elected Monroe 
as President. The whig party, as it came to be called in Jack- 
son's time, was forming in opposition to the republican — 
thenceforth known as the democratic party.* The whigs were 
in favor of a protective tariff, and a general system of internal 
improvements ; f the democrats opposed these. No one of the 
four candidates obtaining a majority of votes, the election 
went to the House of Eepresentatives, where John Quincy 
Adams, son of John Adams, was chosen. 

* John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay were the champions of the whigs ; Andrew 
Jackson and John C. Calhoun of the democrats. In 1834, the democrats began to be 
called Locofocos, because, at a meeting in Tammany Hall, the lights having been 
extinguished, were relit with locofoco matches, which several, expecting such an 
event, had carried in their pockets. 

t A protective tariff is a duty imposed on imported goods for the purpose of en- 
couraging their manufacture at home. By internal improvements are meant the 
improving of the navigation of rivers, the building of bridges and railroads, the 
dredging of harbors, etc. 



174 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1825. 



J. Q. ADAMS'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(SIXTH PRESIDENT: 182o-1829.) 

This was a period of great national prosperity. During this 
term the first railroad in the United States was completed, 




THE FIRST RAILROAD TRAIN. 



and the Erie Canal opened. The debt was fast diminishing, 
and there was a surplus of $5,000,000 in the treasury. A pro- 
tective tarifij known as the " American System," reached its 
height. It was popular at the east, but distasteful to the 
south.f Adams was a candidate for re-election, but Andrew 
Jackson, the hero of New Orleans, and the democratic nomi- 
nee, was chosen. The principle of a protective tariff was thus 
rejected by the people. 



* John Quincy Adams was born in Massachusetts 1767; died 1848. He was a 
man of learning, of blameless reputation and unquestioned patriotism, yet as a 
President he was hardly more successful than his father. This was, doubtless, 
owing greatly to the fierce opposition which assailed him from the friends of dis- 
appointed candidates, who at once combined to weaken his measures and prevent 
his re-election. Their candidate was Andrew Jackson, a man whose dashing bold- 
ness, energy, and decision attracted the popular masses, and hid the more quiet 
virtues of Adams. To add to his perplexities, a majority of the House, and nearly 
one-half of the Senate, favored the new party, and his own Vice-President, John C. 
Calhoun, was also the candidate of the opposition, and of course committed to it. 
To stem such a tide was a hopeless effort. In two years Adams was returned to 
Congress, where he remained until his death, over sixteen years afterward. Ten 
years of public service were thus rendered after he had passed his "three-score 
years and ten," and so great was his ability in debate at this extreme age, that he 
was called "the old man eloquent.'" Like his father, he was a wonderful worker, 
and his mind was a complete store-house of facts. He lived economically, and 
left a large estate. He was the congressional advocate of anti-slavery, and a bitter 
opponent of secret societies. His fame increased with his age, and he died a trusted 
and revered champion of popular rights. He was seized with paralysis while oc- 
cupying his seat in Congress, after which he lingered two days in partial uncon- 
sciousness. His last words were—" This is the last of earth ; I am content." 

t The southern States, devoted to agricultural pursuits, desired to have foreign 
goods brought to them as cheaply as possible ; while the eastern States, engaged in 
manufactures, wished to have foreign competition shut off by heavy duties. 



1829.] E P C 11 I V. 175 

JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(SEVENTH PRESIDENT— TWO TERMS : 1829-1837.) 

President Jackson commenced his administration with an 
inflexible honesty that delighted all, but with a sturdiness of 
purpose that amazed ahke friends and foes. He surrounded 
himself at once by his political friends, thus establishing the 
now popular principle of " rotation in office." f 

Domestic Affairs. — Nullification. — South Carolina 
(1832) passed a Nullification ordinance declaring the tariff 
laws " null and void," and that the State would secede from 
the Union if force should be employed to collect any revenue 



* Andrew Jackson was born 1767 ; died 1845. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. 
His father died before he was born, and his mother was very poor. As a boy, Andrew 
was brave and impetuous, passionately fond of athletic sports, but not at all addicted 
to books. His hfe was crowded with excitement and adventure. At fourteen, being 
captured by the British, he was ordered to clean the commander's boots. Showing 
the true American spirit in his refusal, he was sent to prison with a wound on head 
and arm. Here he had the smallpox, which kept him iU for several months. Soon 
after his mother had effected his exchange, she died of ship-fever while caring for 
the imprisoned Americans at Charleston. Left entirely destitute, young Jackson 
tried various employments, but finally settled down to the law, and in 1796 was 
elected to Congress. His imperious temper and inflexible will supplied him with 
constant quarrels. Often they were passionate word-contests, sometimes they be- 
came hand-to-hand encounters, and on one occasion a formal duel was fought, in 
which he killed his adversary, himself being severely wounded. The scars he bore 
upon his person were of wounds received in private battles, some of which left 
a mark for hfe. Jackson first distinguished himself as a military officer in the 
war against the Creek Indians, which he made a signal victory. His dashing suc- 
cesses in the war of 1812 completed his reputation, and ultimately won him the 
Presidency. His nomination was at first received in many States Avith ridicule, 
as, whatever might be his military prowess, neither his temper nor his ability 
seemed to recommend him as a statesman. However, his re-election proved his 
popular success as a President. His chief intellectual gifts were energy and in- 
tuitive judgment. He was thoroughly honest, intensely warm-hearted, and had an 
instinctive horror of debt. His moral courage was as great as his physical, and his 
patriotism was undoubted. He died at the '' Hermitage," his home near Nashville, 
Tennessee.— Jackson and Adams were bom the same year, yet how different was 
their childhood ! One born to luxury and travel, a student from his earliest years, 
and brilliantly educated ; the other poor, hating books, and seeking any kind of work 
to escape from want. Yet they were destined twice to compete for the highest place 
in the nation. Adams, the first time barely successful, was unfortunate in his ad- 
ministration : Jackson, triumphing the second, was brilliant in his Presidential 
career. 

t "During the first year of his administration, there were nearly seven hundred 
removals from office, not including subordinate clerks. During the forty years pre- 
ceding, there had been but sixty-four." 



17G 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1832. 



at Charleston.* President Jackson acted with his accustomed 
promptness. He issued a proclamation announcing his de- 
termination to execute the laws, and ordered troops, under 
General Scott, to Charleston. In the mean time Henry Clay's 
celebrated "Compromise Bill" was adopted by the Senate. 
This offering a gradual reduction of the tariff, was accepted 
by both sides, and quiet restored, f 

Bank oftlie United 
States. — During his 
first term, Jackson 
vetoed a bill renewing 
the charter of the 
United States Bank. 
After his re-election 
Ijy an overwhelming 
majority, considering 
his policy sustained 
by the people, he ordered (1833) the public money to be re- 
moved from its vaults. The bank thereupon contracted its 
loans. Money became scarce. People were unable to pay 
their debts. Commercial distress ensued. This measure ex- 
cited the most violent clamor. Jackson was, however, sus- 




BANK OF THr: UM 1 EU STATES, J 



* John C. Calhoun and Robert Y. Hayne were the prominent advocates of this doc- 
trine of " State rights," which declared that a State could set aside an act of Con- 
gress. During this struggle occurred the memorable debate between Webster and 
Hayne, in which the former, opposing secession, pronounced those words familiar 
to every school-boy, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.''' 
Calhoun's public life extended over forty years. He was one of the most cele- 
brated statesmen of his time. As a speaker he was noted for forcible logic, clear 
demonstration, and earnest manner. He rejected ornament, and rarely used illustra- 
tion. Webster, his political antagonist, said of him, "• He had the indisputable basis 
of all high character, unspotted integrity, and honor unimpeached. Nothing grovel- 
ling, low, or meanly selfish came near his head or his heart." 

t Alexander H. Stephens says: " To do this. Clay had to break with his old politi- 
cal friends, while he was offering up the darling system of his heart on the altar of his 
country. No one can deny that he was a patriot— every inch of him. When he was 
importuned not to take the course he did, and assured that it would lessen his 
chances for the Presidency, he nobly replied, ' I would rather be right than Presi- 
(lenf— a sentiment worthy to be the motto of every young patriot in our land." 
:;: This buildin;; is now occupied as a Custom House. 



1834.] EPOCH IV. 177 

tained by the democratic majority in the House of Eepre- 
sentatives. 

Speculations. — When the pubhc money, withdrawn from 
the Bank of the United States, was deposited in the local 
banks, it became easy for any one to borrow money. Specu- 
lation extended to every branch of trade, but especially to 
western lands. New cities were laid out in the wilderness. 
Fabulous prices were charged for building lots, which existed 
only on paper. Scarcely a man could be found who had not 
his pet project for realizing a fortune. The bitter fruits of 
these hot-house schemes were gathered in Van Buren's time. 

Indian Troubles. — 1. The Black HawTc War* broke out in 
the Northwest Territory (1832). The Sacs and Foxes had 
some time before sold their lands to the United States, but 
when the settlers came to take possession, the Indians refused 
to leave. After some skirmishes they were driven off, and their 
leader, the famous Black Hawk, was captured. 2. The 
Florida War (1835) with the Seminoles grew out of an attempt 
to remove them, in accordance with a treaty, to lands west of 
the Mississippi. Osceola, the chief of the Seminoles, was so 
defiant, that Genera^ Thompson, the government agent, put 
him in irons. Dissembling his wrath, Osceola consented to the 
treaty. But no sooner was he released than, burning with 
indignation, he plotted a general massacre of the whites. 
General Thompson was shot and scalped while sitting at 
dinner, under the very guns of Fort King. The same day 
Major Dade, with over one hundred men, was waylaid near 
the Wahoo Swamp. All but four were killed, and these after- 
ward died of their wounds.f After several battles the Indians 

* In this war, Abraham Lincoln was captain of a company of Illinris volunteers ; 
Jefferson Davis was a lieutenant of United States regulars. 

+ Osceola, in October, IHST, visited the camp of General Jessup, en ier a flag of 
truce. He was there seized and sent to Fort Moultrie, where he died the following 
year. 



178 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1837. 

retreated to the everglades of southern Florida, in whose 
tangled swamps they hoped to find a safe retreat. They were, 
however, pursued into their hiding-places by Colonel Taylor, 
and beaten in a hard-fought battle (Okechobee, Dec. 25, 1837). 
They were not fully subdued until 1842. 

Foreign Affairs. — France. — The French government had 
j)romised to pay $5,000,000 for damages to our commerce 
during Napoleon's wars. This agreement not being kept, 
Jackson, with his usual decision, urged Congress to make 
reprisals on French ships. The mediation of England secured 
the payment of the debt by France, and thus averted the 
threatened war. 

Political Parties. — The democratic candidate, Martin 
Van Buren, was chosen President* The people thus sup- 
ported the policy of Jackson — no United States Bank and no 
Protective Tariff. General Harrison was the whig candidate. 



VAN BUREN'S ADMINISTRATION.! 

(EIGHTH PRESIDENT: 1837-1841.) 

Domestic Affairs.— (7Wsi5 of 1837. — The financial storm 
which had been gathering through the preceding administra- 
tion, now burst with terrible fury. The banks contracted 

* No Vice-President being chosen by the people, Colonel R. M. Johnson was 
selected by the Senate. 

t Martin Van Buren was bom 1782; died 1862. He early took an interest in 
politics, and in 1818 started a nev/ crganizatioi: of the democratic party in New 
York, his native State, which had the power for over twenty years. In 1831 he was 
appointed minister to England, whither he went in September, but when the nomi- 
nation came before the Senate in December, it was rejected, on the ground that he 
had sided with England against the United States, on certain matters, and had carried 
party contests and their results into foreign negotiations. His pa^ty regarded this as 
extreme political persecution, and the mrxt year elected him to the Vice-Presidency, 
He thus beoaBce head of the Senate which a few months before had condemned him, 
and where 1 e now performed his duties with "dignity, courtesy, and impartiality." 

As a President, Van Buren was the subject of much partisan censure. The ccuu- 



1837.] EPOCH IV. 179 

their circulation.* Business men could not pay their debts. 
Failures were every-day occurrences. Those in New York 
city alone, during March and April, exceeded $100,000,000. 
Property of all kinds declined in value. Eight of the States 
in part or wholly failed. Even the United States government 
could not pay its debts.f Consternation seized upon all 
classes. Confidence was destroyed, and trade stood still. 

Foreign Affairs.— 2%e ''Patriot War'' (1837-8).— The 
Canadian rebellion, at this time, against England, stirred the 
sympathies of the American people. Meetings were held, 
volunteers offered, and arms contributed. The President 
issued a proclamation refusing the protection of the United 
States government to any who should aid the Canadians, 
and sent General Scott to the frontier to preserve the 
peace.J 

try was passing through a peculiar crisis, and his was a difficult position to fill with 
satisfaction to all. That he pleased his own party is proved from the fact of his 
re-nomination in 1840 against Harrison. In 1S44 he was once more urged by his 
friends, but failed to get a two-thirds vote in the convention, on account of his oppo- 
sition to the annexation of Texas. In 1848 he became the candidate of the " free 
democracy," a new party advocating anti-slavery principles. After this he retired 
to his estate in Kinderhook, N. Y., where he died. 

* The direct causes of this were (1) the specie circular, which was issued by Jack- 
son in 1836, just at the close of his last term, directing that payments for public lands 
should be made in gold and silver. The gold and silver was soon gathered into the 
United States treasury. (2) The surplus public money, amounting to about $28,000,000, 
which was ordered by Congress to be withdrawn from the local banks and dis- 
tributed among the States. The banks could not meet the demand. (3) During the 
season of high prices and speculation, when fortunes were easily made, there had 
been heavy importations of European goods, which had to be paid for in gold and 
silver. Thus the country was drained of its specie. (4) A terrible fire in the city of 
New York on the night of Dec. 16, 1835, which had burned 600 valuable stores, and 
property to the amount of $18,000,000. 

t At the present time the public money is kept in the United States treasury at 
Washington, and in sub-treasuries. This was Van Buren's favorite idea, and only 
adopted by Congress at the close of his term. It was called the Sub-Treasury Bill, 
and was used as a great argument against Van Buren's re-election. It was repealed 
during Tyler's administration, but re-enacted under Polk. 

X A body of American sympathizers having taken possession of Navy Island in 
Niagara River, had hired a steamer, called the Caroline, to cojivey their provisions and 
war materials. On the night of December 29, 1837. a party of British troops attempted 
to seize this vessel at her moorings at Schlosser. A desperate fight ensued. But 
they, at last, set her on fire and let her drift over the Falls. This event caused great 
excitement at the time. Many thought that the passengers and crew of a peaceable, 



180 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [ISSft 

Tlie Northeast Boundary between Maine and New Bruns- 
wick bad never been settled. The people of that region 
threatened to take up arms to support their respective claims. 
For some time there was great peril of a war with England. 
During Tyler's administration (1842) a treaty (known as the 
Ashburton treaty) was negotiated between the United States 
and Great Britain, through the statesmanship of Daniel 
Webster, which estabhshed the boundary. 

Political Parties. — The financial difficulties caused a 
change in political feeling, and for the time weakened the 
confidence of the people in the wisdom of the democratic 
pohcy. Van Buren failed of a re-election, and General Harri- 
son, the hero of Tippecanoe, the whig nonmiee, was chosen 
President. 



HARRISON AND TYLER'S 
ADMINISTRATION.* 

(NIKTH AND TENTH PRESIDENTS ; 1841-1845.) 

General Harrison had scarcely entered upon the duties of 
his office and selected his cabinet, when he died. John Tyler, 
the Vice-President, in accordance with the Constitution of the 



unarmed steamer, had been cruelly butchered. The real character of the vessel, how- 
ever, came out, and justified the attack. A cannonading was carried on between the 
band on Navy Island and the British troops on the Canadian shore. A sufficient 
force to dislodge the " patriots " having collected, they forthwith decamped. Con- 
flicts took place between the so-called patriots and the British troops at various 
points along the line. At first, doubtless, many joined the cause from a love of 
liberty, but soon the enterprise degenerated into a scheme of bold outlaws longing 
for plunder and violence. 

* William Henry Harrison was bom in 1773; died 1841. He distinguished himself 
during the war of 1812, especially in the battle of the Thames. His military reputa- 
tion made him available as a Presidential candidate. His character was unimpeach- 
able, and the chief slur cast upon him by his opponents was that he had lived in a '' log 



1841.] EPOCH i\. 181 

United States, became President. He was elected as a whig, 
but did not cany out the favorite measures of his party. 

Domestic ASsiirs.— Uiiited States Ba7iL— The whigs, 
immediately upon comnig into power, passed a bill to estab- 
lish a IJnited States Bank, but it was vetoed by Tyler, to the 
great disgust of the men who had elected him. 

TJie Dorr Rebellion (1842) in Rhode Island grew out of 
efforts to secure a more liberal State constitution.* The peo- 
ple were divided into Wo parties, each of which elected State 
officers. Thomas W. Dorr, who was chosen by the suffrage 
party, made an attack upon the State arsenal,f but was driven 

cabin" with nothing to drink but " hard cider." His friends turned this to good 
account. The campaign was noted for immense mass-meetings, long processions, 
song-singing, and great enthusiasm. '' Hard ciaer " became a party watch-word, and 
" log cabins " a regular feature in the popular parades. He was elected by a very large 
majority, and great hopes were entertained of his administration. Though advanced 
in years, he gave promise of endurance. But " he was beset by office-seekers ; he 
was anxious to gratify the numerous friends and supporters who flocked about him ; 
he gave himself incessantly to public business ; and at the close of the month he was 
on a sick bed." His illness was of eight days duration. His last words were, " The 
principles of the government; I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." 

John Tyler was born 1790 ; died 18G2. He was in early life a great admirer of 
Henry Clay, and is said to have wept with sorrow when the Avhigs in convention 
rejected his favorite candidate for the Presidency, and selected Harrison. He was 
nominated Vice-President by a unanimous vote, and was a great favorite with his 
party. In the popular refrain " Tippecanoe and Tyler too," the people sung praises 
to him as heartily as to Harrison himself. The death of Harrison and the succession 
of Tyler, was the first instance of the kind in our history. 

Tyler's administration was not successful. He opposed the measures of his party, 
and made free use of the veto power. His former political friends denounced him as 
a renegade, to which he replied that he had never professed to endorse the measures 
which he opposed. The feeling increased in bitterness. All his cabinet, except 
Webster, resigned. He was, however, nominated by a convention composed chiefly 
of office-holders, for the next Presidency; he accepted, but finding no popular sup- 
port, soon withdrew from the canvass. In 1861 he became the presiding officer of the 
peace convention in Washington. All efi"orts at reconciliation proving futile, he 
renounced his allegiance to the United States and followed the Confederate fortunes. 
He died in Richmond, whei-e he was in attendance as a member of the Confederate 
Congress. 

* The old charter granted to the Rhode Island colony by Charles n.(page 65), was 
still in force. It limited the right of suff"rage to those holding property. 

t Tradition says that Governor Dorr drew up his little army on a hill, and, point- 
'ing to the advance of the State troops, urged his men to fight till they could fight no 
longer, and, if compelled to retreat, to go back in good order, and with their faces to 
the foe — adding, in a low voice, as he saw the troops approaching, "As I am a little 
lame, I guess I will go now." 



182 



UNITED STATES HISTOKY, 



[1843. 



off by United States troops. He was at last arrested, tried for 
treason, and sentenced to imprisonment for life.* 

Anti-Re7it Difficulties (1844). — The tenants on some of 
the old " patroon " estates in New York had refused to pay 
the rent. It was very light, f but it was considered illegal. 
The anti-renters, as they were called, assumed the disguise of 
Indians, tarred and feathered those tenants who paid their 
rents, and even killed officers who served w^arrants upon them. 
The disturbances were suppressed (1846) only by a military 
force. 



mJ: 





VIEW OF NAUVOO. 



The Mormons. — A religious sect called Mormons had 
Fettled at Nauvoo, 111. (1840). Here they had built a city of 



* In 1S45 he was pardoned. In the mean time "the law and order party" had 
yielded to the demand of the times, and adopted a new and liberal constitution. 

t It consisted of only "a few bushels of wheat, three or four fat fowls, and a day's 
work with horses and wagon, per year." 



1840.] EPOCH IV. 183 

several thousand inhabitants, and laid the foundations of a 
costly temple. Having incurred the enmity of the people 
about them, their leader, Joseph Smith,* was taken from the 
custody of the authorities, to whom he had entrusted himself, 
and killed. A mob bombarded the city for three days, and 
finally (September, 1845) drove out the inhabitants, who fled 
to Iowa. 

Foreign Affairs. — Annexation of Texas. — The Texans, 
under General Sam. Houston, having won their independ- 
ence from Mexico, applied (April, 1844) for admission into 
the Union. Their petition was at first rejected by Congress,! 
but being endorsed by the people in the fall elections, it-»was 
accepted before the close of Tyler's administration. 

NortJiivest Boundary. — The northeast boundary question 
had scarcely been settled, than the northwest boundary came 
into dispute. It was settled during Polk's administration, by 



* Joseph Smith, -while living at Palmyra, N.Y., claimed to have had a supernatural 
revelation, by which he was directed to a spot where he found huried a series of 
golden plates covered with inscriptions, which he translated hy means of two trans- 
parent stones (Urim and Thummim) found with them. The result was the Book of 
Mormon, said to be the history of a race favored by God, who occupied this con- 
tinent at a remote period of antiquity. The Mormons accept the Holy Bible as re- 
ceived by all Christian people, but believe the Book of Mormon to be an additional 
revelation, and also that their chief or prophet receives direct inspiration from 
God. They practice plural marriage, or polygamy, claiming that the Scriptures 
nistify, while one of their revelations directly commands it. After the death of 
Smith and the expul'^ion at Nauvoo, a company under the leadership of Brigham 
Young crossed the Rocky Mountains, and settled near Great Salt Lake, in Utah. 
They were followed hy others of their sect, and, after great sufferings, succeeded in 
subduing the barren soil, and establishing a prosperous colony. They founded Salt 
Lake City, whore a new temple of their faith is now building. Their prophet, 
Brisrham Young, is regarded with great reverence by his followers, and his slightest 
will is law. 

t There were two reasons why this measure was warmly discussed— (1) Mexico 
claimed Texas, although that country had maintained its independence for nine 
years, and had been recognized by several European nations as well as by the United 
States. Besides, Texas claimed the Rio Grande (reo-grandS), while Mexico insisted 
npon the Nueces (nwS-ses) River as the boundary line between Texas and Mexico. 
The spare region between these rivers was therefore disputed territory. Thus 
the annexation of Texas would bring on a war with Mexico. (2) Texas held 
slaves. Thus, while the South urged its admission, the North as strongly op- 
posed it. 



184 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1846. 

compromise, fixing the boundary line at 49° instead of 54° 40' 
as claimed by the United States. 

Political Parties. — The question of the annexation of 
Texas went before the people for their decision. The demo- 
crats, who favored its admission, nominated James K. Polk,* 
who, after a close contest, was elected President. The whigs, 
who opposed its admission, had nominated Henry Clay.f 

* The announcement of Polk's nomination was the first news ever sent hy mag- 
netic telegraph. It was transmitted from Baltimore to Washington, May 29, 1844, 
over a line built with $30,000 appropriated by Congress to test Professor Morse's in- 
vention. This was the grandest event of this administration, and has largely influ- 
enced the civilization and prosperity of the country. Thus the steamboat and the 
magnetic telegraph were the first fruits of American liberty and industry. 

t Henry Clay was a man whom the nation loved, but signally failed to honor. 
Yet his fame and reputation remain far above any distinction which mere oflfice can 
give, and unite with them an afiection which stands the test of time. Respected by 
his opponents, he was almost idolized by his friends. In this he somewhat resem- 
bled JeflTerson, but, unlike him, he had not in his early years the advantages of a 
liberal education. His father, a Baptist minister of very limited means, died when 
Henry was five years old, and at fifteen he was left to support himself. Meantime 
he had received what little tuition he had, in a log-cabin school-house from very in- 
diff"erent teachers. With a rare tact for making friends, ready talent waiting to be 
instructed, and a strong determination seeking opportunities, he soon began to 
show the dawnings of the power which afterward distinguished him. He has said : 
" I owe my success in life to one single fact, namely, that at an early age I com- 
menced, and continued for some years, the practice of daily reading and speaking 
the contents of some historical or scientific book. These ofl'-hand eflbrts were 
sometimes made in a corn-field ; at others, in the forest ; and not unfrequently in 
some distant barn, with the horse and ox for my only auditors. It is to this that I 
am indebted for the impulses that have shaped and moulded my entire destiny." 
Rising rapidly by the force of his genius, he soon made himself felt in State and 
nation. He was peculiarly winning in his manners. An eminent and stem political 
antagonist once refused an introduction to him expressly on the ground of a deter- 
mination not to be magnetized by personal contact, as he "had known other good 
haters " of Clay to be. United with this suavity was a wonderful will and an in- 
flexible honor. His political adversary, but personal admirer, John C. Breckinridge, 
in an oration pronounced at his death, uttered these words—" If I were to write his 
epitaph, I would inscribe as the highest eulogy on the stone which shall mark his 
resting-place : ' Here lies a man who was in the public service for fifty years, and 
never attempted to deceive his countrymen.' "—Clay, Calhoun, and Webster were 
turee statesmen who made American history brilliant during the first half of the 19th 
century. Calhoun and Webster were born in the same year (1782). Clay and Webstei 
died in the same year (1852). They were all unsuccessful candidates for the Presi. 
dency. They were, however, repeatedly appointed to positions in the Cabinet, ant\ 
C!alhoun twice became Vice-President. 



1845.] EPOCH IV. 185 



JAMES K. POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 

(ELEVENTH PRESIDENT : 1845-1849.) 
WAR WITH MEXICO. 

1846-7. 

I. GENERAL TAYLOR'S ARMY. 

Campaign on the Rio Grrande. — General Taylor having 
been ordered with his troops into the disputed territory, ad- 
vanced to the Rio Grande and built Fort Brown. Returning 
from Point Isabel, whither he had gone for supplies, on the 
plains of Palo Alto (pah-lo ahl'-to) he met six thousand Mexi- 
cans, under General Arista (ah-rees-tah), drawn up across the 
road. Though they outnumbered his little army three to 
one, he routed them with a loss of but nine men killed. The 
next afternoon he met them again at Resaca de la Palma 
(ra-sah-kah da lah pahl'-mah), posted in a deep ravine 
through which the road ran, flanked by thickets. Their 
artillery held Taylor's men in check for a time, when Captain 
May, charging with his cavalry in the face of a murderous 
fire, captured the guns, and with them their commander, 
General La Vega (lah-va'-gah), just in the act of firing a gun. 
The infantry now rushed forward and drove the enemy, who 
fled across the Rio Grande in utter rout. 



* James K. Polk was born 1795 ; died 1849. He was one of the most conspicuous 
opposers of the administi'ation of J. Q. Adams, and a warm supporter of Jackson. 
In 1839, having served fourteen years in Congress, he declined a re-election and was 
chosen governor of Tennessee. His Presidential nomination, in connection with 
that of George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania, as Vice-President, had the effect of 
uniting the democratic party, which had been disturbed by dissensions between the 
friends and opponents of Martin Van Buren. However, the Mexican war, which in 
many States was strongly opposed, the enactment of a tariff based on a revenue 
principle instead of a protective one, and the agitation caused by the ''■ Wilmot 
Proviso " (see p. 190), all conspired to affect his popularity before the end of bis 
term. He had. however, previously pledged himself not to be a candidate for re- 
election. He died about three moiuths after hie retirement from office. 



186 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1846. 



Invasion of Mexico. — Capture of Monterey (Sept. 24). — 
General Taylor, with about six thousand men, advanced upon 
Monterey (mon-ta-ni'). This city, surrounded by mountains 
and almost impassable ravines, was strongly fortified, its streets 




BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PALMA. 



barricaded and defended by a garrison of ten thousand men. 
A grand assault was made on the city. To avoid the deadly 
fire poured upon them from the window^s, roofs, and barri- 
cades, the troops entered the buildings and dug their way 
through the stone walls from house to house, or passed from 
roof to roof. They came at last within one square of the 
Grand Plaza, when the city was surrendered. The garrison 
was allowed to march out with the honors of war. 

Battle of Buena Vista (bwa-nah vees'-tah) (February 23, 
1847). — Santa Anna, the Mexican general, learning that tho 



1847.] EPOCH lY. 187 

flower of Taylor's command had been withdrawn to aid 
General Scott, determined to crush the remainder. The little 
American army took post at Buena Vista, a narrow mountain 
pass with hills on one side and a ravine on the other.* Here 
they were attacked by Santa Anna with twenty thousand of 
the best troops of Mexico. The battle lasted from sunrise 
till dark. In the last desperate encounter our infantry were 
overwhelmed by numbers. Bragg's artillery was ordered to 
their rescue. Without any infantry support he dashed up to 
within a few yards of the crowded masses of the enemy. A 
single discharge made them waver. "A little more gi'ape, 
Captain Bragg," shouted Taylor. A second and a third dis- 
charge followed, when the Mexicans broke and fled in 
disorder. During the night, Santa Anna drew off his defeated 
araiy. 

General Taylor's work was now done. His army was 
intended only to hold the country already gained, while 
General Scott penetrated to the capital from Vera Cruz (va- 
rah krooss). 

II. GENERAL KEARNEY'S ARMY. 

Conquest cf Ne^v Me^co and California. — General 
Kearney (kar-ne) was directed to take the Spanish provinces 
of New Mexico and California. Starting from Fort Leaven- 

* Several anecdotes are told of General Taylor in connection with this battle. The 
day before the principal attack, the Mexicans tired heavily on our line, A Mexican 
officer, coming with a message from Santa Anna, found Taylor sitting on his white 
horse with one leg over the pommel of his saddle. The officer asked him " what he 
was waiting for V He answered, " For Santa Anna to surrender." After the officer's 
return a battery opened on Taylor's position, but he remained coolly surveying the 
enemy with his spy-glass. Some one suggesting that "Whitey" was too conspicu- 
ous a horse for the battle, he replied that •' the old fellow had missed the fun at 
Monterey, and he should have his share this time." Mr. Crittenden havine gone to 
Santa Anna's headquarters was told if General Taylor would surrender, he pbould be 
protected. Mr. Crittenden replied, "General Taylor never surrenders." This 
Ijecame a favorite motto during the election of 1818. The anecdote told in the text 
concerning Capt. Bragg is disputed, but has become historical. 



188 UNITED STATES HISTOKY. [1846. 

worth (June, 1846), a journey of about a thousand miles 
brought him to Santa Fe.* Unfurhng here the United States 
flag he continued his march toward Cahfornia. On his way, 
however, he learned from Kit Carson, the noted hunter, that 
he was too late. The winter before. Captain John C. Fremont, 
with a company of sixty men, had been engaged in surv^eying 
a new route to Oregon. Learning that the Mexican com- 
mandant intended to expel the American settlers, he went to 
their rescue, although he was not aware that war had broken 
out between the United States and Mexico. With greatly 
inferior numbers, he was victor over the Mexicans in every 
conflict. By the help of Commodores Sloat and Stockton, 
and also General Kearney, who came in time to aid in the last 
battle, the entire country was conquered. 



III. GENERAL SCOTT'S ARMY. 

Capture cf Vera Cruz (March 29, 1847). — General 
Winfield Scott landed an army, twelve thousand strong, with- 
out opposition, and forthwith drew his siege-lines among the 
shifting sand-hills and chaparral thickets about Vera Cruz. 
After a fierce bombardment of four days, the city and the 
strong castle of San Juan de Ulloa (sahn hoo-ahn'da ool- 
yo'-ah) were surrendered. 

March to Mexico. — Battle of Cerro Gordo (April 18). — 
A week afterward the army took up its march for the capital. 
At the mountain pass of Cerro Gordo, the enemy were 
strongly fortified. A road was cut around the base of the 



* Colonel Doniphan, with one thousand men, the main body of General Kearney's 
command, marched over one thousand miles through a hostile country, from Santa 
Fe to Saltillo, havint,' fought two battles and conquered the province and city of 
Chihuahua (che-wah-wah). His men's term of service having expired, he marched 
them back to New Orleans and discharged them. The men had been enlisted, 
marched three thousand miles, and disbanded, all in a year. 



1847.] EPOCH IV. 189 

mountain through the forest, and cannon dragged up the 
precipice by ropes, to the rear of their position. Thence a 
plunging fire was opened upon them simultaneously with an 
assault in front. The Mexicans fled in such haste that Santa 
Anna only escaped on his wheel-mule, leaving behind his 
wooden leg. 

The city of Puebla (pweb-lah), second only to Mexico in 
importance, surrendered without resistance. Here Scott 
waited three months for reinforcements. 

Battles before Mexico. — With eleven thousand men the march 
was resumed (August 7), and in three days the army reached 
the crest of the Cordilleras, where the magnificent valley of 
Mexico lay stretched before them. In the midst was the 
city, surrounded by fertile plains and cloud-capped moun- 
tains. But the way thither was guarded by thu'ty thousand 
men and strong fortifications. Turning to the south to avoid 
the strongest points, by a route considered impassable, the 
army came before the entrenched camp of Contreras, within 
fourteen miles of Mexico. The next morning at daylight this 
was taken, the troops having moved to their positions in dark- 
ness so intense that, to avoid being separated, they had to 
touch each other as they marched. The same day the height 
of Clmruhusco was stormed, numerous batteries were cap- 
tured, and the defences laid bare to the causeways leading to 
the very gates of the city. An armistice and fruitless nego- 
tiations for peace delayed the advance until General Scott 
found that the Mexicans were only improving the time in 
strengthening their works. Once more (September 8) our 
army moved to the assault. The attack was irresistible. The 
formidable outworks were taken one by one. At last the 
castle of Chapultepec (cha-pool-te-pek), situated on a high 
rock commanding the city, was stormed. The next day 
(September 14) the army entered the city, and the stars and 



190 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1848. 

stripes waved in triumph over the palace of the Monte- 
zumas.* 

Peace. — The fall of the capital virtually closed the war. 
A treaty was concluded February 2, 1848. The United 
States gained the vast territory reaching south to the Gila 
(ghee-lah), and west to the Pacific. 



Domestic Affairs. — Tlie Wilmot Proviso, — Texas, the 
prize of the war, became at once the bone of contention. 
David Wilmot offered in Congress (August, 1846) a bill for- 
bidding slavery in any territory which should be acquired. 
This measure, though lost, excited violent debate in and out 
of Congress, and became the great feature of the fall election. 

Discovery of Gold in California. — A workman in digging 
a mill-race in the Sacramento valley (February, 1848) dis- 
covered shining particles of gold. A further search proved 
that the soil for miles around was full of the precious metal. 
The news flew in every direction. Emigration began from 
all parts of America, and even from Europe and Asia. In 
eighteen months one hundred thousand had gone from the 
United States alone to this El Dorado, where a fortune was to 
be picked up in a few days. Thousands made th^ir way 
across the desert, amid privations which strewed the route 
with skeletons. The bay of San Francisco was soon sur- 
rounded by an extemporized city of shanties and booths. 
All ordinary employments were laid aside. Ships were 
deserted by their crews, who ran to the mines sometimes, 
it is said, headed by their officers. Soon streets were laid out, 
houses erected, and from this Babel, as if by magic, grew up 

* In this eeries of battles, brevets for gallantry were won by officers whose names 
have since become to us as household words. Among these we notice Lqc, Beauregard, 
Hill, J^son, McClellan, Lyon, Grant, Hooker, Longstreet, Buell, JohustonTand 
AudiSrson. ~ ^— ~.. . . — ^ '•^^ 



1848.] EPOCH IV. 191 

a beautiful citj. For a time, lawlessness reigned supreme. 
But, driven by the necessity of events, the most respectable 
citizens took the law into their own hands, organized vigilance 
committees, and administered a rude but prompt justice which 
soon effected order. 

Political Parties. — Three parties now divided the suf- 
frages of the people. The whigs nominated General Tayior 
for President; the democrats, Lewis Cass; and the free- 
soilers, who were opposed to the extension of slavery, Martin 
Van Buren. The personal popularity of General Taylor, on 
account of his many sterling qualities, and his brilliant victo- 
ries in the Mexican war, made him the favorite candidate, 
and he was elected. 



TAYLOR AND FILLMORE'S 
ADMINISTRATION* 

(TWELFTH AND THIRTEENTH PRESIDENTS : 1849-1853.) 

General Taylor, like General Harrison, died soon after his 
elevation to the Presidency. Millard Fillmore, Vice-President, 
succeeded him. 

Domestic Affairs. — Slavery questions were the great 
political topic of this administration. When California 

* Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia in 1784. Soon after his birth his parents 
removed to Kentucky. His means of education were of the scantiest kind, and until 
he was twenty-four years of age he worked on his father's plantation. Madison, 
who was a relative, and at that time Secretary of State, then secured for him an 
appointment in the army as lieutenant. From this he rose by regular and rapid 
degrees to a major-generalship. His triumphant battles at Palo Alto, Resaca de la 
Pdlma, Monterey, and Buena Vista, won him great applause. He was the i)opular 
hero of a successful war. The soldiers admiringly called him " Old Roiigh and 
Ready." Having been offered the nomination for President, he published several 
letters defining his position as "a whig, but not an ultra-whig," and declaring that 
he would not be a party candidate or the exponent of party doctrines. Many of the 
whig leaders violently opposed his nomination. Daniel Webster called him " an 



192 



UNITED STATES HISTORY 



[1850. 



applied for admission to the Union as a free State, all these 
questions were brought to a focus. A hot debate ensued. 
For awhile it seemed as if the Union would be rent asunder. 
Henry Clay, the " Great Pacificator," came forward at this 




Darnel Webster. Henry Clay. 

CLAY ADDRESSING CONGRESS. 



John C. Calhojn. 



terrible crisis, and, with his wonderful eloquence, urged the 
necessity of mutual compromise and forbearance. Daniel 
Webster* warmly seconded this effort at conciliation. 



ignorant frontier colonel." The fact tiiat he was a slaveholder was warmly urged 
against him. He knew nothing of civil aftairs, and had taken so little interest in 
politics that he had not voted in forty years. But he was nominated and elected. 
His nominarion caused a secession from the whigs, resulting in the formation of the 
free-soil parly. He felt his want of qualifications for the position, and sometimes 
expressed his regret that he had accepted it. Yet he maintained as President the 
popularity which had led to his election, and was personally one of the most 
esteemed who have filled that office. He died July 9, 1850, at the Presidential man- 
sion, after an illness of five days. 

* When Daniel Webster, the great American statesman and jurist, was fourteen 
years old, he first enjoyed the privilege of a few months schooling at an academy. 
The man whose eloquence was afterward to stir the nation, was then so shy that he 



1850.] EPOCH IV. 193 

Tlie Compromise of 1850. — The Omnibus Bill, Clay's 
measure, was adopted as the best solution of the problem. It 
proposed (1) that California should come in as a free State; 
(2) that the Territories of Utah and New Mexico should be 
formed without any provision concerning slavery ; (3) that 
Texas should be paid $10,000,000 to give up its claims 
on the Territory of Ncav Mexico; (4) that the slave trade 
sliould be prohibited in the District of Columbia, and (5) that 
a Fugitive Slave Law should- be enacted providing for the 
return to their owners of slaves escaping to a free State. 

Foreign Affairs. — Invasion of Cuba. — About six hundred 
adventurers, '' fillibusters," undertook to effect the annexation 
of Cuba to the United States. The attempt ended in utter 
defeat, and the execution, at Havana, of Lopez, the leader. 

Political Parties. — The democratic and whig parties 
both declared that they stood by the provisions of the Om- 
nibus Bill. The free-soil party was outspoken against it. 
Franklin Pierce, the Presidential nominee of the democratic 
party, was elected by a large majority of votes over General 
Scott, the whig candidate. 

could not muster courage to speak before the school. He eays, " Many a piece did I 
commit and rehearse in my own room, over and over again ; yet when the day came, 
when my name was called, and I saw all eyes turned toward me, I could not raise 
myself from my seat." In other respects, however, he gave decided promise of his 
future eminence. One year after, his father resolved to send him to college— a dream 
he had never dared to cherish. " I remember the very hill we were ascending 
through deep snow, in a New England sleigh, when my father made known this pur- 
pose to me. I could not speak. How could he, I thought, with so large a family, and 
in such narrow circumstances, think of incurring so great an expense forme? A 
warm glow ran all over me, and I laid my head on my father's shoulder and wept."— 
Having finished his collegiate education and entered his profession, he at once rose 
to eminence. Elected to Congress, in his maiden speech he " took the House and 
country by surprise " By rapid strides he placed himself at the head of American 
orators. His speeches are masterpieces, and may well be the study of every aspirant 
for distinction. It was a disappointment to many of Webster's friends, as it is 
said to have been to himself, that he was never called to the Presidential chair. But, 
like Clay, although he micrht have honored that position, he needed it not to enhance 
his renown. His death, which occurred in 1852, called out, it is said, more orations, 
discourses, and sermons, than had any other since that of Washington. 



194 UJSriTED STATES HISTORY. . [1853. 

PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT: 185-3-1857.) 

Domestic Affairs. — Kansas -Nebraska Bill, — The Com- 
promise Bill of 1850 produced only a lull in the slavery ex- 
citement. It burst out anew when Stephen A. Douglas brought 
forward (1853) his famous bill organizing the Territories of 
Kansas and Nebraska, and advocating the doctrine of " squat- 
ter sovereignty ;" i. e., the right of the inhabitants of each Ter- 
ritory to decide for themselves whether the State should come 
into the Union free or' slave.f This bill being a virtual repu- 

* Franklin Pierce was bom 1804 : died 1869. He had barely attained the requisite 
legal age when he was elected to the Senate. He there found puch men as Clay, 
Webster, Calhoun, Thomas H. Benton, and Silas Wright. Nathaniel Hawthorne 
pays in his biography of Mr. Pierce : " With his usual tact and exquisite sense of 
propriety, he saw that it was not the time for him to step forward prominently on 
this highest theatre in the land. He beheld these great combatants doing battle 
before the eyes of the nation, and engrossing its whole regards. There was hardly 
an avenue to reputation save what was occupied by one or another of those gigantic 
figures." During Tyler's administration, he resigned. When the Mexican war 
broke out, he enlisted as a volunteer, but£oon rose to the office of brigadier-general. 
He distinguished himself under General Scott, against whom he afterwards success- 
fully ran for the Presidency, and upon whom, during his administration, he conferred 
the title of lientenant-general. On the question of slavery, Mr. Pierce always sided 
with the South, and opposed anti-slavery measures in every shape. In a message to 
Congress in 1856, he characterized the formation of a free State government in Kansas 
as an act of rebellion, and justified the principles of the Kansas and Nebraska Act 
(see above). He, however, espoused the national cause at the opening of the civil 
war, and urged a cordial support of the administration at Washington. 

t The public lands have often threatened the peace of the nation. (1.). The ques- 
tion of their ownership was one of the greatest obstacles to the Union of the States. 
In 1781, New York was the first to present her western territory to the general 
government. Virginia followed her example in 1784, donating the great North- 
western Territory— a princely domain, which, if retained, would have made her the 
richest of the States ; she reserved only 3,700,000 acres in Ohio, which she subse- 
quently sold in small tracts to settlers. Massachusetts, in 1785, relinquished her 
claim, retaining a proprietary right over large tracts in New York. Connecticut, in 
1786, did the same, and from the sale of her lands in Ohio laid the foundation of her 
school fund of $2,000,000. Georgia and the Oarolinas gave up their right to territory 
from which has since been carved the States of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. 
(2.) Since these lands became the property of the general government, a most per- 
plexin^r question has been, Shall they i)e free ? Upon it has hinged largely the poli- 
tics of the country. The admission of Missouri, Texas, California, and Kansas 
have each been the signal for the reopening of this vexed question.— Though the 



1854.] LPOCII IV. 195 

diation of tlie Missouri Compromise, excited the most intense 
feeling.* It, however, became a law (May, 1854). 

^^ Border Warfare^ — The struggle was now taken from 
Congress to Kansas. A bitter contest arose between the pro- 
slavery and anti-slavery men — the former anxious to secure 
the State for slavery ; the latter, for freedom. Each party sent 
bodies of armed emigrants to the Territory. Civil war ensued. 
Bands of "border ruffians" crossed over from Missouri, took 
possession of the polls, and controlled elections. Houses? were 
attacked and pillaged. Men were murdered in cold blood. 
For several years Kansas was a scene of lawless violence. 

Foreign Affairs. — Mexico. — Owing to the inaccuracy of 
the map used in the treaty between the United States and 
Mexico, a dispute arose with regard to the boundary line. 
General Gadsden negotiated a settlement whereby $10,000,000 
were paid to Mexico, and additional territory, known as the 
" Gadsden purchase," secured to the United States. 

Japan. — Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan (1854) 
excited great attention. He negotiated a treaty securing 
great commercial advantages to the United States over any 
other country. 

Political Parties. — The compromises of 1820 and 1850 
being now abolished, the slave question became the turning 
point of tiie election. New party lines were drawn to meet 



public lands have been the cause of intestine strife, they have been a great source of 
national wealth. Their sale has brought large sums into the treasury. They have 
been given to settlers as a stimulus to emigration. They have been granted to en- 
dow colleges and schools, to build railroads, to reward the soldiers, and support their 
widows and orphans. In every township to be incorporated hereafter in the great 
west, one-eighteenth of the land must be reserved for school purposes. By the 
Homestead Act of 1862, any citizen may secure a farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres. In consequence of the facility with which land maybe acquired, the United 
States has over 6,000,000 landowners, while England has but 30,000. 

* During the discussion. Mr. Sumner, of Massachusetts, made some reflections 
upon South Carolina and her representatives. For this he was assailed by Preston 
S. Brooks, one of the South Carolina representatives, and so severely injured that for 
three years he could not resume his seat 



196 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1856. 

this issue.* The whig party ceased to exist. The repub- 
hcaii party, absorbing all who opposed the extension of slavery, 
nominated John C. Fremont, who received the vote of eleven 
States. The democratic party, retaining its organization, 
nominated James Buchanan, who was elected President. 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION! 

(FIFTEENTH PRESIDENT: 1857-1861.) 

Domestic Affairs. — Dred Scott I Decision. — The Supreme 
Court of the United States (1857), through Chief-Justice 
Taney, declared that slave-owners might take their slaves into 
any State in the Union without forfeiting authority over them. 
At the North, this was considered as removing the last barrier 

* A third party, called the Know-Nothing or American party, was organized to re- 
Bist the influence of foreigners. It carried the vote of only one State, Maryland. Its 
motto was, " America for Americans.'' The party aroused bitter feelings while it 
lasted, but it had a transient existence. 

t James Buchanan was born 1791; died 1868. The "bachelor-President" was 
sixty-six years old when he was called to the executive chair. He had just returned 
to his native country, after an absence of four years as minister to England. Pre- 
viously to that he had been well known in public life as Congressman, Senator, and as 
Secretary of State under President Polk. As Senator in Jackson's time, he heartily 
supported his administration. With Van Buren, he warmly advocated the idea of an 
independent treasury (see p. 179) against the opposition of Clay, Webster, and others. 
Under Tyler, he was urgently in favor of the annexation of Texas, thus again coming 
into conflict with Clay and Webster. However, he cordially agreed wit h them in the 
compromise of 1850 (see p. 193), and urged its favor upon the people. > Much was ' 
hoped from his election, as he avowed the object of his administration to be " to 
destroy any sectional party, whether North or South, and to restore, if possible, that 
national fraternal feeling between the different States that had existed during the 
early days of the Republic." But popular passion and sectional jealousy were too 
strong to yield to pleasant persuasion. We shall see in the text how the heated 
nation was drawn into the horrors of civil war. When Mr. Buchanan's administra- 
tion closed, the fearful conflict was close at hand. He retired to his estate in Penn- 
sylvania, where he died. 

t Scott and his wife were slaves, belonging to a surgeon in the United States army. 
They were taken into and resided in Illinois and at Fort Snelling, in territory where, 
by the ordinance of 1787, slavery was forever prohibited. Afterward they were car- 
ried into Missouri, where they and their children were held as slaves. They claimed 
freedom on the ground that, by the act of their master, they had been taken into free 
territory. The decision of the court against their claims created an intense excite- 
ment throughout the country. 



1857.] EPOCH IV. 197 

to the extension of slavery, and as changing it from a local to 
a national institution ; at the South, only as a right guaranteed 
them by the Constitution, whereby they should be protected in 
the possession of their property in every State. 

The Fugitive Slave Laiv had intensified the already heated 
controversy. The subject of slavery absorbed all others. The 
provision which commanded all good citizens to aid in the 
arrest of fugitives was especially obnoxious to the North. Dis- 
turbances arose whenever attempts were made to restore run- 
aways to their masters. Several of the northern States passed 
"Personal Liberty" bills, securing to fugitive slaves, when 
arrested, the right of trial by juiy. 

John Brown, a man who had brooded over the exciting 
scenes through which he had passed in Kansas until he 
thought himself called upon to take the law into his own 
hands, seized upon the United States Arsenal at Harpei-'s 
Ferry (1859), and proclaimed fi-eedom to all slaves in the 
vicinity. His feeble band was soon overpowered by United 
States troops, and Brown himself hung as a traitor. Though 
it was soon known that his wild design had never asked 
counsel of any one, yet at the time the Southern feeling was 
aroused to frenzy, his act being looked upon as significant of 
the sentiments of the North. 

Political Parties. — The fall elections again turned on 
the question of slavery. The democratic party divided, and 
made two nominations for President : Stephen A. Douglas, who 
favored squatter sovereignty, and John C. Breckinridge, who 
claimed that slavery could be carried into any territory. The 
republican party nominated Abraham Lincoln, who held that 
while slavery must be protected where it was, it ought not 
to be carried into any free temtory.* Lincoln was elected. 



* The "Union " party put up John Bell, of Tennessee. Their motto was, "The 
Union, the Constitution, and the Enforcement of the Laws." 



198 



U KITED STATES HISTORY, 



[18G0 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



The South Secedes. — Throughout the fall campaign 
the Southern leaders had threatened to secede if Mr. Lni- 

coln were elected.* They 
now declared that it was 
time to leave a government 
which had fallen into the 
hands of their avowed en- 
emies. Since the time of 
Calhoun, they had been 
firm believers in the dec- 
trine of State rights, which 
taught that a State could 
leave the Union whenever 
it pleased. In December 
(1860) South Carolina led 
off, and soon Mississippi, 
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, 
Louisiana, and Texas had joined in passing ordinances of 

* This was not a sudden movement on their part. The sectional difference be- 
tween the North and the South had its source in the difterence of climate, which 
greatly modified the character and habits of the people ; also, while the agricultural 
pursuits and staple products of the South made slave labor profitable, the mechan- 
ical pursuits and the more varied products of the North made it unprofitable. These 
antagonisms, settled first by the Missouri Compromise of 1820, reopened by the 
tariff" of 1828, bursting forth in the nullification of 1832, pacified by Clay's com- 
promise tariff", increased through the annexation of Texas and the consequent war 
with Mexico, irritated by the Wilmot Proviso, lulled for a time by the compromise 
of 1850, awakened anew by the "squatter sovereignty" policy of 1853, roused to 
fury by the agitation in Kansas, spread broadcast by the Dred Scott decision, the 
attempted execution of the Fugitive Slave Law and the John Brown raid, had now 
reached a point where war was the only remedy. The election of Lincoln was the 
pivot on which the result turned. The cause ran back through thirty years of con- 
troversy to the diff"erence in climate, in occupation, and in habit of life and thought. 
Strancre to say, both sections misunderstood each other. The Southern people be- 
lieved the North to be so engrossed in money-making and so enfeebled by luxury 
that it could only send to the field mercenary soldiers, who would easily be beaten 
by the patriotic Southerners. They said, " Cotton is King ;" and believed that Eng- 
land and France were so dependent upon them for that staple, that their republic 
would be recognized and defended by those European powers. On the other hand, 
the Northern people did not believe that the South would dare to fight for slavery 
when it had 4,000,000 slaves exposed to the chances of war. They thought it to be 
all bluster, and hence paid little heed to the threat of secession or of war. Both sides 
sadly learned their mistake, only too late. 



1861.] 



EPOCH IV. 



199 




JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



secession. In February (1861) delegates met at Montgomery, 
Ala., and formed a government called the " Confederate States of 
America." Jefferson Davis, 
of Mississippi, was chosen 
for President, and Alexan- 
der H. Stephens, of Geor- 
gia, Vice-President. United 
States forts, arsenals, mints, 
custom-houses, and ships 
were seized by the States 
in which they were situ- 
ated. President Buchanan 
did nothing to prevent the 
catastrophe. General Scott 
urged action. But the regu- 
lar army was small, and the 
ti'oops widely scattered. The 

navy had been sent to distant ports. The Cabinet largely 
sympathized with the secessionists. Numerous unsuccessful 
efforts were made to effect compromise. It was the gen- 
eral expectation that 
there would be no war. 
The cry, "No coer- 
cion," was general.* 
Yet affairs steadily 
drifted on toward war. 
Fort Sumter. — 
All eyes were now 
turned on Fort Sum- 
ter. Here Major xin- 
derson kept the United States flag flying in Charleston harbor. 

* Even the New York Tribune declared— " Whenever any considerable section of 
our Union shall deliberately resolve to go out, we shall resist all coercive measures 
to keep them in." 




FORT SUMTER. 



200 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1861, 

He had been stationed in Fort Moultrie, but fearing an attack, 
he had crossed over (December 26) to Fort Sumter, a much 
stronger position. The South Carohnians, looking upon this 
as a hostile act, took possession of the remaining forts, com- 
menced erecting batteries, and prepared to reduce Fort Sum- 
ter. Major Anderson was compelled by his instructions to 
remain a quiet spectator of these preparations. The Star of 
the West, an unarmed steamer, bearing troops and supphes 
to the fort, was fired upon and driven back. The Southern 
leaders declared that any attempt to relieve Fort Sumter 
would be a declaration of war. The government seemed par- 
alyzed with fear. All now waited for the new President 



STATES ADMITTED DURING THE FOURTH EPOCIJ. 

The number of States increased during this epoch from 
thirteen to thirty-four. The following is the order in which 
they were received : 

Vermont, the fourteenth State, and the first under the 
Constitution, was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. It 
was so called from its principal range of mountains {verd, 
green, and mont, mountain). Champlain discovered and ex- 
plored much of it in 1609. The first settlement was made 
in 1724, in the present town of Brattleborough, where Fort 
Dummer was erected. The region was claimed by both New 
Hampshire and New York (see p. 110). In 1777, the inhabit- 
ants declared the "New Hampshire grants" an independent 
State, under the title " New Connecticut, alias Vermont." In 
1791, however. New York consented to relinquish her claim 
on the payment of $30,000, and Vermont was accordingly ad- 
mitted into the Union. 

Kentucky, the fifteenth State, was admitted to the 
Union June 1, 1792. The name, "dark and bloody ground," 



1792.] EPOCH IV. 201 

had its origin in the fierce conflicts which took place between; 
the white and red men. Daniel Boone, a famous hunter, for 
two years rambled through the forests of this region, dehghted 
with its scenery and the abundance of game. After many 
thrilling adventures and naiTow escapes from the Indians, he 
established a fort at Boonesborough, and removed his family 
thither in June, 1775. This was the first permanent settle- 
ment in the State, then a part of Virginia, from which it was 
not separated till 1790. 

Tennessee, the sixteenth State, was admitted to the 
Union June 1, 1796. It was named from the river Tennessee, 
the " river with the great bend." It is thought that De Soto, 
in his wandericgs, visited the spot where Memphis now stands. 
The first permanent settlement in the State* was at Fort 
Loudon, thirty miles from the present site of Knoxville, in 
1756. In 1780, James Robertson crossed the mountains with a 
party, and located where Nashville now stands, but which was 
then a wilderness. In 1789, North Carolina gave up her claim 
on the region, and the next year it was joined with Kentucky 
to form an independent territory. It received a distinct terri- 
torial government two years before it became a State. 

Ohio, the seventeenth State, was admitted to the Union 
November 29, 1802. It was so called from the river of that 
name, signifying the " beautiful river." The first explorations 
were made by the French, under La Salle, about 1680. The 
first permanent settlement was at Marietta, in 1788. It was 
the first State carved out of the great Northwest Territory. f 

Louisiana, the eighteenth State, was admitted to the 

* This was the first permanent English settlement south of Pennsylvania and west 
of the AUeghanies. 

t This territory was created in 1787, and included all the public land north of the 
Ohio. It embraced the present States of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wiscon- 
sin, and part of Minnesota. It was a part of New France before the French authority 
ceased in 1763. The British held possession for twenty years, when the country was 
ceded to the United ^tates. 



W2 UNITED STATES HISTOKY. [1812. 

tJnion April 8, 1812. The territory was named in honor of 
Louis XIV, king of France. The French explored the river 
Mississippi to the sea in 1682 (see p. 34), but their first settle- 
ment was made by Iberville at Biloxi, near its mouth, in 1699. 
New Orleans was founded in 1718.* The temtory was ceded 
to Spain in 1762, but in 1800 was receded to France. When 
the United States purchased it (see p. 155), Louisiana included 
all the region north and west between the Mississippi and the 
Pacific, except such portions then occupied by Spain (see 
California), and north to the British possessions. In 1804, 
this region was divided into two portions — the territory of 
Orleans, which included the present State of Louisiana, and 
the district of Louisiana, which comprised the remainder. 
The former was admitted to the Union as Louisiana, and the 
name of the latter changed to Missouri. 

Indiana, the nineteenth State, was admitted to the Union 
December 11, 1816. The name is derived from the word In- 
dian. The exact date of its first settlement is undetermined. 
"When Ohio was taken from the Northwest Territory, the re- 
mainder was called Indiana. It was reduced to its present 
limits in 1809, and was the second State admitted fi'om the 
Northwest Territory. After the Indian difficulties which 
hindered its early development had subsided, its gi'owth was 
very rapid. Between 1810 and 1820, its population increased 
five hundred per cent. 

Mississippi, the twentieth State, was admitted to the 
Union December 10, 1817. It is named from the Mississippi 
River, the " Great Father of Waters." De Soto was the first 
European who traversed this region. In 1700, Chevalier de 
Tonty, with a party of Canadian French, ascended the river 

* The colony was granted to the great Mississippi Company, organized by John 
Law, at Paris, for the purpose of settling and deriving profit from the French posseB- 
sions in North America. When this bubble burst, the French crowii resumed the 
country. 



1817.] EPOCH IV-. 203 

to the Natchez country, where they selected a site for a fort 
and called it Kosahe. A settlement called St. Peters was 
made in 1703, on the Yazoo. In 1728, the Indians swept 
every vestige of civilization from the present hmits of the 
State. Under the French governors who followed, fierce and 
bloody wars were waged with the Natchez, Chickasaw, and 
Choctaw Indians. In 1763, Louisiana east of the Mississippi, 
inchiding a part of wliat is now Mississippi and Alabama, was 
ceded to the British, and became a part of Georgia. The 
Mississippi Territory was created in 1798, and lands were after- 
ward added until it embraced the present States of Mississippi 
and Alabama. The latter became a separate Territory in 
March, 1817. 

Illinois, the twenty-first State, was admitted to the Union 
December 3, 1818. Its name is derived from its principal 
river, signifying " River of men." Its first settlements were 
made by La Salle.* After the States of Ohio and Indiana, 
and the Territory of Michigan had been taken from the 
Northwest Territory, the remainder was styled the Illinois 
Territory, and comprised the present States of IlHnois, Wis- 
consin, and a part of Minnesota. The settlement of this Ter- 
ritory was greatly impeded by Indian hostilities. The massacre 
at Fort Chicago, August 15, 1812, and the Black Hawk war, 
are instances of the dangers and trials which beset the pioneer. 
The great prosperity of the State dates from the year 1850, 
when munificent grants of land were made to the Central 
Raih'oad. The prairie wilderness was rapidly settled, and 
towns and cities sprang up as by magic. 

Alabama, the twenty-second State, was admitted to the 



* That enterprising traveller, after exploring the DlinoiB River, built a small fort 
which he called Creveccenr (krave-kiir), and left it in command of the Chevalier de 
Tonty. Three years afterward he returned with some Canadians and founded Kas- 
kaskia, Cahokia, and other towns, which early became flourishing, though the set- 
tlers, in manners and habits, were assimilated to the Indians. 



204 UKITED'STATES HISTORY. [1819. 

Union December 14, 1819. Its name is of Indian origin, and 
signifies " Here we rest." It was originally a joart of Georgia. 
(See Mississippi.) The fierce contests with the Creek Indians, 
ended by Jackson, gave to the State a yast and fertile region. 
The first settlement was made by Bienyille on Mobile Bay, in 
1702. Nine years afterward, the present site of Mobile was 
occnpied. Mobile was the original seat of the French colo- 
nization in Louisiana, and for many years the capital. Having 
been ceded to Great Britain and then to Spain, in 1813 it was 
suiTendered to General Wilkinson, and has since remained in 
the possession of the United States. 

Maine, the twenty-third State, was admitted to the Union 
March 15, 1820. (See p. 60.) 

Missouri, the twenty-fourth State, was admitted to the 
Union August 10, 1821. Its name is derived from its prin- 
cipal river, and means " Muddy water." Its oldest town, St 
Genevieve, was founded in 1755. The district of Louisiana 
(see Louisiana) was organized as Louisiana Territoiy in 1805, 
and St. Louis made its capital. When Louisiana became a 
State, the name of the Territory was changed to Missouri. 
On the admission of the State of Missouri into the Union, its 
boundaries were restricted to their present limits. 

Arkansas, the twenty-fifth State, was admitted to the 
Union June 15, 1836. It took its name from a now extinct 
tribe of Indians. It was discovered and settled by the French 
under Chevaher de Tonty, as early as 1685. It followed the 
fate of the other portions of Louisiana. On the admission of 
the State of Missouri, Ai'kansas was organized as a Territory, 
including the present State and a part of Indian Territory. 

Michigan, the twenty-sixth State, was admitted to the 
Union January 26, 1837. The name is of Indian origin, sig- 
nifying " Great Lake." It was early visited by missionaries 
(see p. 33) and fur traders. Detroit was founded in 1701 by 



1837.] EPOCH IV. 205 

Cadillac. The region, first a part of the Northwest Territory, 
then of Indiana Teri'itory, was organized as a separate Terri- 
tory in 1805. All the country north of the present States of 
Indiana and Illinois, was annexed to Michigan in 1818. The 
act of admission gave the State its present boundaries. 

Florida, the twenty-seventh State, was admitted to the 
Union March 3, 1845. The Spanish word florida, means 
blooming. (See also p. 27.) Its early visitors. Ponce de 
Leon, De Narvaez, and De Soto, its first settlement at St. 
Augustine, its history under the Spaniards, and the Seminole 
war, have been incidentally described. It was organized as a 
Territory March 3, 1819. 

Texas, the twenty-eighth State, was admitted to the Union 
December 27, 1845. It was explored by De Leon and La 
Salle. The latter, intending to found a French settlement at 
the mouth of the Mississippi, sailed by it unawares, and, land- 
ing at Matagorda Bay, built Fort St. Louis on the Lavaca. 
The Spaniards afterward explored and partially settled the 
country, establishing missions at various points. These did 
not prosper, however, and the region was populated mainly by 
roving bands of Indians. Civil war had impoverished the few 
settlers who were unable to flee the country, and Galveston 
was nearly deserted, when, in 1820, Moses Austin, a native of 
Connecticut, obtained from the Spanish authorities in Mexico 
a grant of land. Emigration from the United States was 
encouraged, and in 1830 there were twenty thousand Ameri- 
cans in Texas. The jealousy of Mexico being excited, acts of 
oppression followed, and m 1835 the Texans were driven to 
declare their independence. After a year of severe fighting* 



* Santa Anna, with four thousand men, having attacked the Alamo, a fort garri- 
soned by only one hundred and seventy-two men, every man of that gallant few died 
at his post except seven, who were killed while asking for quarter. Here David 
Crockett, the famous hunter, who had volunteered to fight with the Texans for their 
liberty, fell, pierced with wounds, but surrounded by the corpses of those whom he 



206 UNITED STATES HISTORY- [1846. 

and alternating victories, Santa Anna was conquered. The 
next year (1837) Texas sought admission into the Union. In 
1844 the question was revived. The last act of Tyler's ad- 
ministration Avas to sign a bill for its admission. This bill was 
ratified by a convention of the State, July 5 th of the same 
year. 

lowa^ the twen ty-ninth State, was admitted to the Union 
December 28, 1846. Its name is of Indian origin, signifying 
" Drowsy ones." Julien Dubuque, a Canadian Frenchman, ob- 
tained in 1788 a large tract of land, including the jiresent site 
of Dubuque. He there built a fort and traded with the Indians 
till 1810. The first permanent settlement was made at Bur- 
lington in 1833, by emigi'ants from Illinois. The same year, 
Dubuque was founded. This Territory belonged to the Louis- 
iana tract and partook of its fortunes. It was successively a 
part of Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin Territories, but 
was organized separately in 1838. It then included all of 
Minnesota west of the Mississippi River, but when admitted as 
a State was reduc3d to its present limits. 

Wisconsin, the thirtieth State, was admitted to tlie 
Union May 29, 1848. Its name is derived from its principal 
river, and signifies " The gathering of the waters." It was ex- 
plored by French missionaries and traders as early as 1639. 
Green Bay was founded in 1745. This region was also a part 
of the Louisiana purchase. It was comprised in the Territoiy 
of Illinois, then of Michigan, and in 1836 became a separate 
Territory. 

California, the thirty-first State, was admitted to the 
Union September 9, 1850 (see p. 190). Sir Francis Drake, 
in 1578-9, sailed along its coast, named it New Albion, and 
wintered in San Francisco harbor (see p. 35). In 1769, 

had cut down ere he was overpowered. In the battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna 
with fifteen hundred men, was defeated by eight hundred, under General Sam, 
Houston. 



1850.] 



EPOCH IV. 



207 







. Fiauciseo Bay. 



Pitcitic Ocean. 
bird's eye view of SAN FRANCISCO. 



The Golden Gate. 



the Spaniards established the mission of San Diego (de-a'-go), 
and in 1776 (year of the Declaration of Independence), one at 
San Francisco.* In 1803, they had eighteen missions with over 
fifteen thousand converts, and the entire government of the 
country was in the hands of the Franciscan monks. The 
Mexican revolution, in 1822, overthrew the Spanish power in 



* In 1835, a shanty owned by one Richardson was the only human habitation, and 
the vast bay was a solitude. The first survey of streets and town lots was in 1839. 
The principal trade was in exporting hides, and that was small. In 1846, an Ameri- 
can man-of-war entered the harbor, and took possession in the name of the United 
States. The town was known as Yerba Buena {good herb) until 1847, when it was 
changed to its present name. About that time it had a population of four hundred 
acd fifty-nine. The discovery of gold in 1848 (see p. 190) gave the city its first start 
toward its present distinction. Within eighteen months following December, 1849, 
the city lost by fire $16,000,000 of property, though its population did not exceed 
thirty thousand. Such, however, was the enterprise of its citizens, that these tre- 
mendous losses scarcely interrupted its growth or prosperity. Its magnificent harbor 
and its railroad communications give it a very extensive commerce on the Pacific 
Coast. 



308 UI^-ITED STATES HISTORY. [1858. 

California, and in a few years the Franciscans were stripped of 
their wealth and influence. In 1831, the white population did 
not exceed five thousand. From 1843 to 1846, many emi- 
grants from the United States settled in California, and, under 
the leadership of Fremont and others, wrested the countiy 
from Mexico (see p. 188). By the treaty at the close of the 
Mexican war. Upper California was ceded to the United 
States. It embraced about 450,000 square miles, comprising 
what is now knoAvn as California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and 
parts of Colorado and New Mexico. 

Minnesota, the thirty-second State, was admitted to the 
Union May 11, 1858. It was so called from the river of that 
name, and signifies " Cloudy water." In 1680, La Salle and 
Hennepin penetrated this region. Other travellers followed, 
and within the present century the whole country has been 
thoroughly explored. Fort Snelling was established in 1819. 
St. Paul was settled in 1846 by emigrants from the East. The 
Territory of Minnesota was organized in 1849, with the Mis- 
souri and White rivers for its western boundary, thus embrac- 
ing nearly twice the area of the present State. At this time 
its population was less than five thousand, consisting of whites 
and half-breeds settled about the various missions and trading- 
posts. In 1851, the Sioux ceded a large tract of land to the 
United States. After this the population increased so rapidly 
that in six years Minnesota applied for admission into the 
Union. 

Oregon, the thirty-third State, was admitted to the Union 
February 14, 1859. It is said to derive its name from the 
Spanish oregano, wild marjoram, abundant on its coast. It 
constituted a part of the Louisiana purchase, though for a 
long time little was known of this portion of that vast terri- 
tory. In 1792, Captain Gray, of Boston, entered the Colum- 
bia, giving the river the name of his ship. On his return, he 



1859.] EPOCH IV. 209 

gave such a flattering report of the country that there was a 
general desire to know more of it. In 1804, the year after the 
Louisiana purchase, Jefferson sent an exploring party, under 
the command of Captain LeAvis and Lieutenant Clark, which 
followed the Missouri to its source and descended the Colum- 
bia to the Pacific. The history of their adventures is one of 
the most romantic of the century. An extensive fur-trade 
soon began. Fort Astoria was built in 1811 by the American 
Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was a prominent 
member. Hunters and trappers in the employ of American 
and British companies roamed over the whole region. Fort 
Vancouver was occupied by the Hudson's Bay Company, a 
British organization, till 18G0. In 1839, the first American 
emigration set toward this region. The danger of war which 
had seriously threatened its dawning prosperity was averted 
when the northwest boundary was settled by the treaty of 1846. 
In 1848, it was organized as a Territory, and included all the 
possessions of the United States west of the Eocky Mountains. 
In 1850, Congress granted three hundred and sixty acres to 
every man, and the same to his wife, on condition of residence 
on the land for four years. Eight thousand claims were made 
for farms. In 1853, Washington Territory was organized 
north of Columbia River. When Oregon was admitted as a 
State, it was reduced to its present limits. 
. Kansas, the thirty-fourth State, was admitted to the Union 
January 29, 1861. The name is of Indian origin, and is said 
.to mean " Smoky water." This region was also a part of the 
Louisiana purchase. After the States of Louisiana, Arkansas, 
Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota had been carved from it, there 
was left a vast, unoccupied tract at the west, which was or- 
ganized by the Kansas and Nebraska Act of 1854. The his- 
tory of the strife which ensued as to whether it should be 
slave or free has been narrated. (See p. 195.) 



J?10 



UNITED STATES HISTORY 



[1789. 



^u^imaty of the History oft?ie F'ourth JBJpoch, aj^anged 
i?i Chro?ioloffical Orde7\ 

1789. Washington inaugurated, April 30, . 

1791. Vermont admitted to the Union, INIarch 4, 

1792. Kentucky admitted to the Union, June 1, 
Discovery of Columbia River by Captain Gray, May 11, 

1793. Difficulties with Genet, .... 

1794. Indians defeated by Wayne, August 20, . 
Wiiisky insurrection, .... 

1795. Jay's treaty ratified, June 24, . 

1796. Tennessee admitted to the Union, June 1, 

1797. John Adams inaugurated, March 4, . 

1799. Washington died at Mount Vernon, December 14, 

1800. Capitol removed to Washington, 
Treaty with France, September 30, . 

1801. Thomas Jefferson inaugurated, March 4, . 
War declared by United States against Tripoli, June 10, 

1802. Ohio admitted to the Union, November 29, 

1803. Louisiana purchased from France, April 30, 
Fleet sent against Tripoli, 

1804. Lieut. Decatur destroyed frigate Philadelphia, Feb. 15, 
Hamilton killed by Burr, July 11, 

1805. Treaty of p/cace with Tripoli, June 3, 
1807. Chesapeake fired into by Leopard, June 22, 

Embargo on American ships, December 22, 
Fulton first ascended the Hudson, September 14 
1809. James Madison inaugurated, March 4, 

1811. Action between the President and the Little Belt, May 16; 
Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, . 

1812. Louisiana admitted to the Union, April 8, 
War declared against England, June 19, . 
Hull invaded Canada, July 12, . 
Mackinaw surrendered, July 17, 
Detroit surrendered, August 16, 
Constitution captured Guerriere, August 19, 
Battle of Queenstown, October 13, 
Wasp captured Frolic, October 13, 

1813. Battle of Frenchtown, January 22, . 
Capture of York, April 27, .... 
Siege of Fort Meigs, May 1, 
Sackett's Harbor attacked. May 29, . 
American frigate Chesapeake captured by the Shannon, 

June 1, . 166 



1813; 



EPOCH IV, 



211 



1813. 



1814. 



1815. 

1816. 
1817. 

1818. 
1819. 

1830. 

1821. 
1824. 
1825. 
1826. 
1829. 
1832. 

1835. 
1836. 
1837. 



1837-8. 
1841. 



1842. 
1845. 



PAGE 

Battle of Fort Stephenson, Ohio, August 2, . . . 164 

Massacre of Fort Mims, August 30, 166 

Perry's victory on Lake Erie, September 10, . . . 164 

Battle of the Thames, October 5, 165 

Battle of Chrysler's Field, November 11, . . . . 163 
Battle of Horse-shoe Bend (Tohopeka), March 27, . .166 

Battle of Chippewa, July 5, 167 

Battle of Lundy's Lane, July 25, 167 

Washington captured by the British, August 24, . . 169 
Battle of Plattsburg and Lake Champlain, September 11, 168 
Bombardment of Fort McHenry, September 13, . . 169 
Hartford Convention, December 15, . . . • . . 169 

Treaty of Peace, December 24, 169 

Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 169 

War with Algiers, 171 

Indiana admitted to the L^nion, December 11, , . . 202 
James Monroe inaugurated, March 4, . . . .172 
Mississippi admitted to the Union, December 10, . . 202 
Illinois admitted to the Union, December 3, . . . 203 
Alabama admitted to the Union, December 14, . . 203 
Florida purchased of Spain, February 22, ... 173 
Mis souri Com promise passed, March 3, . . . . 172 
'Aiame admitted to the Union, March 15, . . . 60, 204 
Missouri admitted to the Union, August 10, 
Visit of La Fayette, August 15, 
John Quincy Adams inaugurated, March 4, 
Adams and Jefferson died, July 4, 
Jackson inaugurated, March 4, . 

Black Hawk War, 

Nullification in South Carolina, 

Dade's massacre by Seminoles, December 28, 

Arkansas admitted to the Union, June 15, 

Michigan admitted to the Union, January 26, 

Martin Van Buren inaugurated, March 4, 

Battle of Okechobee, Seminoles routed by Taylor, Dec. 25, 

"Patriot War" — Canada,. 

Wm. H. Harrison inaugurated, March 4, 

President Harrison died, April 4, 

John Tyler inaugurated, April 6, 

Dorr Rebellion, 

Florida admitted to the Union, March 3, 
James K. Polk inaugurated, March 4, 
Texas admitted to the Union, December 27, 



212 



UITITED STATES HISTOKY 



1846. 



1847. 



1848. 



1849. 
1850. 



1853. 
1854. 

1857. 
1858. 
1859. 
1860. 
1861. 



PAGE 

Battle of Palo Alto, May 8, 185 

Battle of Resaca de la Palma, May 9, . , . . 185 

Congress declared war against Mexico, May 11, . . 186 

Monterey captured, September 24, 186 

Iowa admitted to the Union, December 28, . . . 206 

Battle of Buena Vista, February 23, 186 

Vera Cruz captured, March 29, 188 

Battle of Cerro Gordo, April 18, , , . . . 188 

Battle of Contreras, August 20, 189 

Capture of Cliapultepec, September 13, . . . 189 

Mexico surrendered, September 14, . . . . . 189 

Treaty of peace with Mexico, February 2, . . . 190 

Gold discovered in California, February, .... 190 

Wisconsin admitted to the Union, May 29, . . . 206 

General Taylor inaugurated, March 5, . . . , 191 

General Taylor died, July 9 .191 

Millard Fillmore inaugurated, July 16, . . . . IGl 

California admitted to the Union, September 9, . . 206 

Franklin Pierce inaugurated, March 4, . . . . 194 

Commodore Perry's treaty with Japan, March, . . 195 

Kansas-Nebraska Bill passed. May, 195 

James Buchanan inaugvi rated, March 4, . . . . 196 

Minnesota admitted to the Union, May 11, . . . 208 

Oregon admitted to the Union, February 14, . . . 208 

South Carolina seceded from the Union, December 20, . 198 

Steamer Star of the West fired upon, January 9, . . 200 

Kansas admitted into the Union as a State, January 29, . 209 

Southern Confederacy formed at Montgomery, Feb. 4, . 199 



TI^E CIVIL WAR, 

From 1861— Lincoln's Inauguration, 
To 1865— Surrender of Lee's Army. 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION* 

(SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT : 1861-1865.) 

NAUG-URATION.— Rumor of a 

plan to assassinate Lincoln impelled 
him to come to Washington in dis- 
guise. He was inaugurated March 
4, 1861, surrounded by troops under 
the command of General Scott. 

Condition of the Country. — All 
was now uncertainty. Officers of the 
army and nayy of the United States 
were daily resigning, and linking 
their fortunes with the Confederate cause. There was still, how- 

Qiteslions oti the Geor/raphy of the Fifth Fpoch.— 'Locate the following 
places noted as battle-fields. (For battles before Richmond, see pp. 236 and 261.) 
Philippi. Big Bethel. Booneville. Carthage. Rich Mountain. Bull Run. Wilson's 
Creek. Hatteras Inlet. Lexington, Mo. Ball's Bluff. Belmont. Port Royal. Mill 
Spring. Fort Henry. Roanoke Island. Fort Donelson. Pea Ridge. Newbern. 
Winchester. J^ttsburg Landing. Island No. 10. Fort Pulaski. Fort Jackson. 
Fort Macon. Beaufort. Yorktown. Williamsburg. Corinth. Fair Oaks. Me- 
cbanicsville. Gaines's Mill. Malvern Hill. Cedar Mountain. South Mountain. 
Antietam. Corinth. Fredericksburg. Holly Springs. Murfreesboro. Galveston. 
Fort Sumter. Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Port Hudson. Chicka- 
mauga. Chattanooga. Knoxville. Fort de Russy. Sabine Cross Roads. Fort 
Pillow. Wilderness. Bermuda Hundred. Spottsylvania Court House. Resaca. 
Dallas. Cold Harbor. Lost Mountain. Petersburg. Atlanta. Mobile. Fort 
Gaines. Fort Morgan. Cedar Creek. Fort McAllister. Nashville. Savannah. 
Fort Fisher. Columbia. Goldsboro. Fort Steadman. Five Forks. Appomattox 
Court House. (The battles above are named in chronological order.) 




* Abraham Lincoln was bom in Kentucky, February 12, 1809 ; died in Washington, 



216 UNITED STATES HISTORY. U861. 

ever, a strong Union sentiment at the South. Many promi= 
nent men in both sections hoped that war might be averted. 
The Federal authorities feared to act, lest they should precipi- 
tate civil strife. In striking contrast to this indecision was the 
marked energy of the new Confederate government. It was 
gathering troops, voting money and supplies, and rapidly pre- 
paring for the issue. 

Capture of Fort Sumter. — Finding that supplies were 
to be sent to Fort Suniter, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard 
(bo-re-gard), who had command of the Confederate troops at 
Charleston, called upon Major Anderson to surrender. Upon 
his refusal, fire was opened from all the Confederate forts and 
batteries.* This " strange contest between seventy men and 
seven thousand," lasted for thirty-four hours, no one being 
hurt on either side. The barracks having been set on fire by 

April 15, 1865. His father was unable to read or write. Abraham's education consisted 
of one year's schooling. When he was eight years old his father moved to Indiana, 
the family floating down the Ohio on a raft. When nineteen years of age the future 
President hired out as a hand on a flat-boat at $10 per month, and made a trip to New 
Orleans. On his return he accompanied the family to Illinois, driving the cattle on 
the journey, and on reaching their destination helped them to build a cabin, and to 
split rails to enclose the farm. He was now in succession a flat-boat hand, clerk, 
captain of a company of volunteers in the Black Hawk War, country store-keeper, 
postmaster, and surveyor, yet he managed to get a knowledge of law by borrowing 
books at an ofiice, before it closed at night, and returaing them at its opening 
in the morning. On being admitted to the bar, he rapidly rose to distinction. At 
twenty-five he was sent to the Legislature, and was thrice re-elected. Turning his 
attention to politics, he soon became a leader. He was sent to Congress ; he can- 
vassed the State, haranguing the people daily on great national questions ; and, in 
1858, he was candidate for Senator, a second time, against Stephen A. Douglas. The 
two rivals stumped the State together. The debate, unrivalled for its statesmanship, 
logic, and wit, won for Lincoln a national reputation. He lost th6 election in the 
Legislature, as his party was in the minority. After his accession to the Presidency, 
his history, like Washington's, is identified with that of his country. He was a tall, un- 
gainly man, little versed in the refinements of society, but gifted by nature with 
great common sense, and everywhere known as "Honest Abe." Kind, earnest, 
sympathetic, faithful, democratic, he was only anxious to serve his country. His 
wan, fatigued face, and his bent form, told of the cares he bore, and the grief he felt. 
His only relief was when tossing aside for a moment the heavy load of responsibil- 
ity, his face would light up with a huraorsome smile, while he narrated some 
incident whose aptness to the subject at hand, and irresistible wit. convulsed his 
hearers, and rendered " Lincoln's stories " household words throughout the nation. 

* The first gun of the war was fired at half-past four o'clock Friday momiag, 
April 12, 1861. 



1861.1 EPOCH V. 217 

the shells, the garrison worn out, suffocated, and half-blinded, 
were forced to capitulate. They were allowed to retire with 
the honors of war, saluting their flag before hauling it down. 

The Effect of this event was electrical. It unified the 
North and also the South. The war spirit swept over the 
country like wild-fire. Party lines vanished. The Union 
men at the South were borne into secession. The republicans 
and democrats at the North combined for the support of the 
government. Lincoln issued a requisition for seventy-five 
thousand troops. It was responded to by three hundred thou- 
sand volunteers. The American flag, the symbol of Eevolu- 
tionary glory and of national unity, was everywhere unfurled. 
The best men of the nation were eager to enlist. The military 
enthusiasm at the South was equally ardent. Virginia, Ar- 
kansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee, which had before 
hesitated, joined the Confederacy. Virginia troops seized the 
United States armory at Harper's Ferry, and the Navy Yard 
at Norfolk.* Richmond, Va., was made the Confederate capi- 
tal. Troops from the extreme South were rapidly pushed into 
Virginia, and threatened Washington. A regiment of Massa- 
chusetts militia hurrying to the defence of the national capital, 
were attacked in the streets of Baltimore, and several men 
were killed. f Thus the first blood shed in the civil war was 
on April 19, the anniversary of Lexington and Concord. 

THE WAR IN VIRGINIA. 
Arlington Heights and AlexandriaX were seized (May 24) - 

* Here were foundries, Bhip-yards, machine shops, two thousand cannon, two 
hundred and fifty thousand pounds of gunpowder, great quantities of shot and shell, 
and twelve ships of war. The ships were scuttled or fired, hut vast stores, which 
were' of inestimable value at the beginning of the war, fell into the Confederate 
hands. 

t A Union soldier who was shot in this afl"ray, turned about, saluted the flag, and 
exclaiming, " All hail the stars and stripes I" fell lifeless. 

X Alexandria was occupied by Colonel Elmer K Ellsworth and his Zouaves. 



218 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1861. 

by the national troops. This protected Washington from any- 
immediate danger of attack.* Fortress Monroe f was now 
garrisoned by a heavy force under General B. F. Butler.]; An 
expedition made soon after against Big Bethel was singularly 
mismanaged. The troops fired into each other by mistake 
on the route. After a gallant attack upon the Confederate 
defences, they were repulsed with loss.§ 

Western Virginia adhered to the Union, and was ulti- 
mately formed into a separate State. The Confederates, how- 
ever, occupied it- in force. The Federals, under General 
George B. McClellan, afterward commander of the Potomac 
army, defeated them at Philippi, Rich Mountain, and Car- 
ricTc^s Ford, thus wresting the entire State from their con- 
trol. Shortly afterward, Governor Wise and General Floyd 
(President Buchanan's Secretary of War) led a Confederate 
force into that region ; but Floyd was suddenly attacked by 
General Eosecrans at Carnifex Ferry, and Wise faihng to sup- 
port him, he was compelled to retreat. General Robert E. 
Lee, McClellan's future antagonist on the Potomac, having 
been repulsed at Cheat Mountain (September 14), now came 
to the rescue. Nothing decisive being effected, the Confed- 
erate government recalled their forces. The only Union vic- 
tories of this year were achieved in this region. 

After the capture, seeing the Confederate flag Btill flying from the roof of a hotel, he 
went up and tore it down. As he descended, he was shot at the foot of the stairs, by 
the landlord, Jackson, who in turn fell at the hands of private Brownell. 

* Alexandria is on the southern side of the Potomac, eight miles below Washing- 
ton. Arlington Heights are directly opposite the capital. 

t This is located at the entrance of the Chesapeake, and is the most formidable 
fortification in the United States. It covers sixty acres of ground, and is nearly a 
mile in circuit. Its walls are of granite, thirty-five feet high. Its garrison, at this 
time, consisted of a small body of artillerists, under General Dimick. 

X At Hampton, from whence the Confederates under General Magruder were 
driven, some negroes were captured who paid they had been employed by the Con- 
federates in building fortifications. Butler declared them "contraband of war." 
This gave rise to the popular term, "Contrabands." 

§ In this attack, young Major Theodore Winthrop, who had already achieved some 
literary reputation, was killed. 



18G1.] 



EPOCH V. 



219 



Battle of Bull Run (July 21). — The Northern people, 
seeing so many regiments pushed forward to Washington, 
were impatient for an advance. The cry, " On to Kichmond !" 
became too strong to be resisted. General Irvin McDowell, in 
command of the Army of the Potomac, moved to attack the 
main body of the Confederates at Bull Eun.* Each army 
was about thirty thousand strong. After a sharp conflict the 
Confederates were driven from the field. They were rallied. 




STONEWALL JACKSON AT BULL RUN. 

however, by General T. J. Jacksonf and others on a plateau 
in the rear. While the Federal troops were struggling to 
drive them from this new position, at the crisis of the battle, 
seventeen hundred men, under Kirby Smith, rushing across 

* This is near Manassas Junction, about twenty-seven miles froto Alexandria. 

+ General Bee. as he rallied his men. shouted, " There's -Jackson standing Hke a 
stone wall." " From that time," says Draper, " the name he had received in a bap- 
tism of fire displaced that he had received in a baptism of water, and he was known 
as ' Stonewall Jackson.' " 



220 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1861 

the tields from Manassas Station,* struck the Union flank and 
poured in a cross fire. The effect was irresistible. McDowell's 
men fled. As the fugitives converged toward the bridge in 
the rear, a shell burst among the teamsters' wagons, a caisson 
was overturned, and the passage choked. The retreat now 
became a panic-stricken rout. Traces were cut, cannon aban- 
doned, mounted men went plunging through the struggling 
mass, and soldiers threw away their guns and ran streaming 
over the country, many never stopping till they were safe over 
the Long Bridge at Washington. 

The Effect of this defeat was momentous. At first the 
Northern people were chagrined and disheartened. Then 
came a renewed determination. They saw the real character 
of the war. They no longer dreamed that the South could 
be subdued by a mere display of military force. They were 
to fight a brave people — Americans — who were only to be con- 
quered by a desperate struggle. Congress voted $500,000,000 
and five hundred thousand men. General McClellan,f upon 
whom all eyes were turned, on account of his brilliant cam- 
paign in Western Virginia, was appointed to the command of 
the Army of the Potomac. 

Ball's BltiflF (October 21). — A reconnoitering party of about 
two thousand Federals having crossed the Potomac at Ball's 
Bluff, they were overwhelmed by superior numbers, and forced 
down the sUppery, clayey bluff, fifty to one hundred and 
fifty feet high, to the river below. The two old scows in 
which they came were soon sunk, and, in trying to escape, 
many were drowned, some were shot, and scarcely half their 



* These troops compoeed a part of General Johnston's command at Winchester. 
General Patterson, with twenty thousand men, had been left to watch him, and pre- 
vent his joining Beauregard. Johnston was too shrewd for his antagonist, and, 
slipping out of his han<f^, reached Bull Run in time to decide the battle. 

t Soon after. General Scott, weighed down by age, resigned, and General McClellan 
became General-in-Chief of all the armies of the United States, 



1861.] EPOCH V. 221 

number reached the other bank. Colonel Baker, United States 
Senator from Oregon, was among the killed.* 

THE WAR IN MISSOURI. 

This State was largely Union. The Convention had de- 
clined to pass an ordinance of secession; yet there was a 
strong effort made by Governor Jackson to preserve, at least, 
an armed neutraUty. Captain Lyon foiled this attempt. He 
broke up Camp Jackson, saved the United States arsenal at 
St Louis, and defeated Colonel Marmaduke at Booneville 
(June 17). General Sigel (se-gel), however, having been de- 
feated by the Confederates in an engagement at Carthage 
(July 5), Lyon, now General, found that he must either fight 
the superior forces of Generals McCuUoch and Price, or else 
abandon that part of the State. He chose the former course. 
At the head of about five thousand he attacked more than 
twice that number at Wilson^s Creeh (August 10). He fell, 
gallantly leading a bayonet charge. His men were defeated. 
Colonel Mulligan was forced to surrender Lexington^ after 
a brave defence. General John C. Fremont now assumed 
charge, and drove Price as far south as Springfield. Just as 
he was preparing for battle, he was replaced by General Hun- 
ter, who took the Union army back to St. Louis. Hunter was 
soon superseded by General Halleck, who crowded Price south 
to Arkansas. Later in the fall. General Grant made an un- 
successful attack upon a Confederate force which had crossed 
over from Kentucky]; and taken post at Belmont 

♦December 20,GeneralE.O.C.Ord, having gone out on a foraging excursion to 
DranesvUle, in a severe skirmish, routed the Confederates. This little victory greatly 
encouraged the people at the North, who had been disheartened by the disastrous 
affair of BalPs Bluff. 

+ The Confederates, in their final assault, fought behind a movable breastwork, 
composed of hemp bales, which they rolled toward the fort as they advanced. 

X Kentucky, like Missouri, had tried to remain neutral, but was unsuccessful. 
Soon both Confederate and Union troops were encamped on her soil, and the State 



222 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [1861. 



THE WAR ON THE SEA AND COAST, 

Early in the war, Davis issued a j)roclamatioii offering to 
commission privateers.* In reply, Lincoln declared a block- 
ade of the Southern ports. At that time there was but one 
efficient vessel on the Northern coast, and but foriy-two ships 
in the United States navy ; but at the close of the year there 
were two hundred and sixty-four. 

Two joint naval and military expeditions were made dur- 
ing the year. The first captured the forts at Hatteras Inlet, 
N. C. The second, under Commodore Dupont and General 
Thomas W. Sherman, took the forts at Port Eoyalf En- 
trance, S. C, and Tybee island, at the mouth of the Savan- 
nah. Port Eoyal became the great depot for the Union 
fleet. 

The Trent Affair. — England and France had acknowl- 
edged the Confederate States as lelligerents, thus placing 
them on the same footing with the United States. The 
Southern people having, therefore, great hopes of foreign aid, 
appointed Messrs. Mason and Slidell commissioners to those 
countries. Escaping through the blockading squadron, 
they took passage at Havana on the British steamer Trent. 
Captain Wilkes, of the United States steamer San Jacinto, 

was ravaged by hostile armies. In all the border States, affairs were in a most 
lamentable condition. The people were divided in opinion, and enlisted in both 
armies. As the tide of war surged to and fro, armed bands swept through the coun- 
try, plundering and murdering those who favored the opposite party. 

* The Savannah was the first privateer which got to sea, but she was captured 
after having taken»her first prize. The Petrel, also from Charleston, bore down upon 
the United States frigate St. Lawrence, mistaking her for a merchant ship. When 
too late, she discovered her error. She received a single broadside and sank. The 
Sumter, Captain Semmes, captured and buraed a large number of American ships, 
but the next year was blockaded in the Bay of Gibraltar, and had to be sold to prevent 
her falling into the Union hands. 

t During this engagement the ships described a circle between the forts, each vessel 
delivering its fire as it slowly sailed by, then passing on, and another taking its 
place. The line of this circle was constantly changed to prevent the enemy from 
getting the range of the vessels. 



1861.:i EPOCH V. 223 

followed the Trent, took off the Confederate envoys, and 
brought them back to the United States. This produced 
intense excitement in England. The United States govern- 
ment, however, promptly disavowed the act and returned the 
prisoners. 

General Review of the First Year of the War.^ 
The Confederates had captured the large arsenals at Har- 
per's Ferry and Norfolk. They had been successful in the 
two great battles of the year — Bull Eun and Wilson's Creek ; 
also in the minor engagements at Big Bethel, Carthage, Lex- 
ington, Belmont, and Ball's Bluff. The Federals had saved 
Fort Pickens* and Fortress Monroe, and had captured the 
forts at Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal. They had gained 
the victories of Philippi, Rich Mountain, Booneville, Car- 
rick's Ford, Cheat Mountain, Carnifex Ferry, and Dranes- 
ville. They had saved to the Union Missouri, Maryland, 
and West Virginia. Principally, however, they had thrown 
the whole South in a state of siege — the armies on the north 
and west by land, and the navy in the east by sea, maintain- 
ing a vigilant blockade. 

1862. 

The Situation. — The national army now numbered 
500,000 ; the Confederate, about 350,000. During the first 
year there had been random fighting; the war henceforth 
assumed a general plan. The year's campaign on the part 
of the North had three main objects : (1) the opening of the 
Mississippi; (2) the blockade of the Southern ports; and (3) 
the capture of Richmond. 

* This fort was siti;atecl near Peneacola. Lieutenant Slemmer, seeing that an 
attack was about to be made upon him, transferred his men from Fort McRae, an 
untenable position, to Fort Pickens, an almost impregnable fortification, which he 
held until reinforcements arrived. 



224 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. [186^ 











VIEW OF RICHMOND, VA. 



THE WAR IN THE WEST. 

Tlie Confederates held a line of defence with strongly 
fortified posts at Columbus, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, 
Bowling Green, Mill Spring, and Cumberland Gap. It was 
determined to pierce this line near the centre, along the 
Tennessee Kiver. This would compel the evacuation of 
Columbus, which was deemed impregnable, and open the 
way to Nashville. 

Capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. — Accord- 
ingly, General Grant, with his army, and Commodore Foote, 
with his gunboats, moved from Cairo (ki'-ro) upon Fort 
Henry.* A bombardment (Feb. 6) from the gunboats re- 

* As a part of the general movement, in January General Thomas had advanced 
against MiU Spring, and on the 19th driven out the Confederate force at that place 
with the loss of General ZoUicoffer (tsol'-le-ko-fer), one of their favorite leaders. 



1862.] EPOCH Y. 225 

duced the place in about an hour. The land troops were to 
cut off the retreat ; but not arriving in time, the garrison 
escaped to Fort Donelson. The fleet now went back to the 
Ohio, and ascended the Cumberland, while Grant crossed to 
co-operate in an attack on Fort Donelson. The fight lasted 
three days.* The fleet was repulsed by the fire from the 
fort, and Commodore Foote seriously wounded. Grant, hav- 
ing been reinforced till he had nearly thirty thousand men, 
defeated the Confederates in an attempt to cut their way 
out, and captured a part of their intrenchments. As he was 
about to make the final assault, the fort was surrendered | 
(Feb. 16), with about fifteen thousand men. 

Effect of these Victories. — As was expected, Columbus and 
Bowling Green were evacuated, while General Buell at once 
occupied Nashville. The Confederates fell back to Corinth, 
the great railroad centre for Mississippi and Tennessee, where 
tlieir forces were gradually collected under the command of 
Generals Albert Sydney Johnston and Beauregard. The 
Union army ascended the Tennessee to Pittsburg Landing. 
Grant was placed in command, and General Buell ordered to 
reinforce him. 

The next movement was to secure the Memphis and 
Charleston railroad, thus cutting off Memphis and securing 
another section of the Mississippi Eiver. 

Battle of Sbiloh (April 6, 7).— The Confederates deter- 
mined to rout Grant's army before the arrival of Buell. 
Sunday morning, at daylight, moving out of the woods in 

* For fonr nights of most inclement winter weather, amid snow and sleet, with no 
tents, t^helter, fire, and many with no blankets, these hardy western troops main- 
tained their position. The piteous wail of the wounded resounded through the bleak 
nights, but death came to many of them, who froze as they lay on the icy ground. 

t When General Buckner, commander of the fort, wrote to General Grant, offering 
capitulation, Grant replied that no terms would be accepted except an " unconditional 
surrender," and that he " proposed to move immediately upon their works." These 
expressions have been much quoted, and U. S. Grant has been often said to signify 
"Unconditional Surrender Grant." 



226 U KITED STATES HISTOKY. [1863. 

line of battle, they suddenly fell on the Union camps.* 
Johnston had forty thousand and Grant thirty-three thous- 
and men. On the one side were the Southern dash, daring 
and vigor ; on the other, the Northern firmness and determi- 
nation. Sui-prised, but not panic-stricken, the Federals, 
fighting where they happened to stand, slowly yielded, and 
for twelve hours obstinately disputed every. inch of the way. 
At last, pushed to the very brink of the river. Grant massed 
his artillery, and gathered about it the fragments of regi- 
ments for the final stand. The Confederates, to meet them, 
had to cross a deep ravine, where, struggling through the 
mud and water, they melted away under the fire of cannon 
and musketry from above, and the shells from the gunboats 
below. Few reached the slippery bank beyond. At the 
same time Buell's advance came shouting on the field. The 
tide of battle was stayed. The Confederates fell back. They 
possessed, however, all the substantial fruits of victory. 
They had taken the Union camps, three thousand prisoners, 
thirty flags, and immense stores ; but they had lost their 
commander, General Johnston, who fell in the heat of the 
action. 

The next morning the tide turned. Buell's army had 
come. Fresh troops were poured on the wearied Confed- 
erates. Beauregard, obstinately resisting, was driven from 
the field. He retreated, however, in good order, and, unmo- 
lested, returned to Corinth.f 



* The Federals were thoroughly surprieed. On the very heels of the picket?, who 
rushed in to give the alarm, came the shells, and then, pouring at double-quick from 
the woods, the magnificent lines of battle. Many, especially officers, had not yel 
risen ; some were dressing, some washing or cooking, and a few at breakfast. Be- 
wildered, half dressed, unformed, they were ill prepared for battle. 

t Their route led through a narrow and almost impassable road, with the mud and 
water so deep that at times the water came into the wagons wherein were crowded 
the wounded and dying soldiers. To add to their distress, a pitiless sleet set in, 
turning to furious hail and raging violently for three hours. Before Coi-inth was 
reached, three hundred men had died. 



1862.;j EPOCH V. 227 

General Halleck now assumed command, and by slow 
stages followed tlie Confederates. Beauregard, finding him- 
self outnumbered, evacuated Corinth, and Halleck took pos- 
session (May 30). 

Island No. 10. — The Confederates, on retreating from 
Columbus, fell back to Island No. 10.* Here they were 
bombarded by Commodore Foote for three weeks, with little 
effect. General Pope, crossing the Mississippi f in the midst 
of a fearful storm, took the batteries on the opposite bank, 
and prepared to attack the fortifications in the rear. The 
garrison, seven thousand strong, surrendered (April 7) the 
very day of the conflict at Shiloh. 

The Effects of the desperate battle at Shiloh were now 
fully apparent.]: The Union gunboats moved down the 
river and (May 10) defeated the Confederate iron-clad fleet. 
On the evacuation of Corinth, Fort Pillow was abandoned. 
The gunboats, proceeding, destroyed the Confederate flotilla 
in front of Memphis, took possession of that city, and secured 
the Memphis and Charleston railroad. The great State of 
Kentucky and all Western Tennessee had been wrenched 
from the Confederacy. The Union army § now held a line 

* The islands in the Mississippi are numbered in order from the mouth of the Ohio 
to New Orleans. 

+ Pope, with his army, was on the Missouri side of the river. 
He could not cross, as the Confederate batteries were planted 
on the opposite shore. A canal was therefore cut across Donald- 
eon's Point. It was twelve miles long and fifty feet wide. Part 
of the distance was through heavy timber, where the trees had 
to be cut off four feet below the surface of the water. Yet the 
work was accomplished in nineteen days. Through this canal 
steamboats and barges were safely transferred below the newly- 
made island, while the two largest gunboats ran the batteries. Donaldson's point 
Under their protection Pope crossed the river. and island no. io. 

X Besides the results here named, the concentration of troops at Corinth had ab- 
sorbed the troops from the South. Thus New Orleans, as we shall see hereafter, fell 
an easy prey to Farragut. 

§ General Halleck having been called to Washington as General-in-Chief of the 
armies of the United States, General Grant was appointed to the command of this 
army. 




228 L'N1TE]:> STATES HISTORY. [1862. 

running from Memphis, through Corinth, nearly to Chatta- 
nooga, toward which point General Buell was steadily push- 
ing his troops. We shall next consider the effoi-ts made by the 
Confederates to break through this line of investment. At 
this time they were concentrated under Bragg at Chatta- 
nooga, Price at luka, and Van Dom at Holly Springs. 

Bragg's Expedition. — The first movement was made by 
General Bragg. With fifty thousand men he started for 
Louisville. General Buell fell back to Nashville. Here he 
found out his enemy's plan. Now commenced a race between 
them of three hundred miles. Buell came out one day ahead. 
He was heavily reinforced to the number of one hundred 
thousand men. Bragg* then fell back, Buell slowly following. 
At Perryville (October 8), Bragg fiercely turned upon Buell, 
and a desperate battle was fought. In the darkness, however, 
Bragg retreated, and finally escaped with his plunder, which 
filled a wagon train forty miles long. At this juncture (Octo- 
ber 31), General Buell was superseded by General Rosecrans. 

Battles of luka and Corinth (September 19, October 4). 
— Every one of Grant's veterans who could possibly be spared 
had been sent north to help Buell. Price and Van Dom, 
taking advantage of the opportunity, were manoeuvring to get 
possession of Corinth. Grant, thinking that he could capture 
Price and then get back to Corinth before Van Dom could 
reach it from Holly Springs, ordered Rosecrans to move upon 
luka. After a severe conflict (September 19), Price escaped. 
Thereupon the two Confederate generals joined their forces, 
and, forty thousand strong, attacked Rosecrans with twenty 
thousand in his entrenchments at Corinth. They exhibited 



* At Frankfort, Bragg was joined hy the part of his army under Kirhy Smith, Avho 
had marched from Knosville, routed a Union force under General Mannon at Rich- 
mond, Ky., inflicting a loss of six thousand, and then had moved north as far as 
Cynthiana, where he threatened to attack Cincinnati, hut was repelled by the ex- 
tensive preparation made hy General Lew Wallace. 



18G2.] EPOCH V. 229 

the most brilliant courage,* but, the Union army being re-en- 
forced, were defeated, and pursued forty miles, with heavy loss. 

Battle of Murfreesboro (December 31, January 2). — 
Rosecrans, on assuming command of Buell's army, concen- 
trated his forces at Nashville. Thence he marched to meet 
Bragg, who, with sixty thousand moving north on a second 
grand expedition, had already reached Murfreesboro. Both 
generals had formed the same planf for the approaching con- 
test. As the Union left was crossing Stone Eiver to attack 
the Confederate right, the strong Confederate left fell heavily 
on the weak Union right. At first the onset was iiTcsistible. 
But Gen. Sheridan was there, and by his consummate valor 
held his ground until Rosecrans could recall the left, replant 
his batteries, and establish a new line. Upon this fresh front 
the Confederates charged four times, but were driven back 
with very great loss. Two days after, Bragg renewed the at- 
tack, but being unsuccessful, retreated. This was one of the 
bloodiest contests of the war. The loss was one-fourth of the 
number engaged. 

The Effect of this Battle,— The attempt of the Confederates 
to recover Kentucky was now abandoned. The way was open 
for another Union advance on Chattanooga. Bragg's force 
was reduced from an offensive to a defensive attitude. 



* The Texas and Missispippi troops made a most heroic charge upon Fort Robi- 
nette. They advanced to within fifty yards of tlie intrencliments, received a shower 
of grape and canister witiiout flinching, and were only driven back when the Ohio 
brigade poured a full volley of musketry into their ranks. They were then rallied 
by Colonel Rogers, of the Second Texas, who, at their head, led them to a fresh 
charge up through the abattis, when, with the colors in his hand, he sprang upon 
the embankment and cheered on his men. An instant more and he fell, with five 
brave fellows who had dared to leap to his side in this desperate assault. The Union 
trjjops admiringly buried his remains, and neatly rounded off the little mound where 
they laid the hero to rest. 

t This coincidence reminds one of the battle of Camden (see p. 133). The plan was 
to mass the strength on the left, and with that to fall upon and crush the enemy's 
right. The advantage clearly lay with the army which struck first. Bragg secured 
the initiative, and Rosecrans's only course was to give up all thought of an attack 
and to save his right and centre from a rout. 



230 UIsflTED STATES HIbTOEY. [1862. 

First Vicksburg Expedition. — While Eosecrans was 
busy repelling this advance of Bragg, an expedition against 
Vicksburg had been planned by Grant. He was to move 
along the Mississippi Central Eailroad, while Sherman was to 
descend the river fi'om Memphis with the gunboats under 
Porter. In the mean time, however, by a brilliant cavalry 
dash, Van Dorn destroyed Grant's depot of supphes at Holly 
Springs. This spoiled the whole plan. Sherman, ignorant of 
what had happened, pushed on, landed on the Yazoo Eiver, 
and made an attack at Chickasaw Bayou (bi-o), north of 
Vicksburg. After suffering a bloody repulse, and learning of 
Grant's misfortune, he fell back. On his return, he captured 
Arkansas Post (January 11, 18G3). This closed the campaign 
of 18G2 on the Mississippi Eiver. 

The War iii Missouri. — In February, General Curtis 
pushed General Price out of Missouri into Arkansas. The 
Confederates, by great exertion, increased their army to twenty 
thousand — General Van Dorn now taking command. Gen- 
eral Curtis, in a desperate battle, totally defeated him at Pea 
Eidge* (March 7, 8). During the rest of the war no import- 
ant battles were fought in this State.f 

THE V/AR ON THE SEA AND THE COAST. 

Capture of New Orleans (April 25). — Tlie effort to 
open the Mississippi was not confined to the north. Early in 

* Some four or five thoasand Indians had joined the Confederate army, and took 
part in this battle. They were diflBcult to manage, says Pollard, in the deafeninfj 
roar of the artillery, which drowned their loudest war-whoops. They were amazed 
at the sight of guns which ran around on wheels. They were annoyed by the falling 
of the trees behind which they took shelter. In a word, their main service was in 
consuming rations. 

t The next year, Quantrell, a noted guerrilla, with three hundred men. entered 
Lawrence, Kansas, plundered the bank, burned houses, and murdered one hundred 
and forty persons. Before a sufficient force could be gathered, he escaped. 



1862.] EPOCH V. 231 

the spring, Captain Farragut, with a fleet of forty-four vessels, 
caiTying eight thousand troops under General Butler, at° 
tempted the capture of New Orleans, which commands the 
mouth of the river. The mortar-boats,* anchored along the 
bank under the shelter of the woods, threw thirteen-inch shells 
into Forts Jackson and St. Philip for six days and nights, with 
little effect. Farragut then boldly resolved to carry the fleet 
past the defences to New Orleans. A chain supported on 
hulks and stretched across the river closed the channel. An 
opening broad enough to admit the passage of the gunboats f 
having been cut through this obstruction, at three o'clock 
in the morning (April 24) they advanced, and poured grape 
and canister into the forts at short range, receiving in return 
heavy volleys from the forts and batteries on shore. After 
running a fearful gauntlet of shot, shell, and the flames of 
fii'e-rafts, they next encountered the Confederate fleet of thir- 
teen armed steamers, including the steam-battery Louisiana 
and the iron-plated ram Manassas. After a desperate struggle 
twelve of the Confederate flotilla were destroyed. The fleet 
then steamed up to New Orleans,^; which lay helpless under 



* To conceal the vessels, they were dressed out with leafy branches, which, except 
by close observation, rendered them undistinguishable from the green woods. The 
direction had been accurately calculated, so that the gunners did not need to see the 
points toward which they were to aim. So severe was the bombardment that " win- 
dows at the Baiize, thirty miles distant, were broken. Fish, stunned by the explo- 
sion, lay floating on the surface of the water." 

t The vessels were made partly iron-clad by looping two layers of chain cables 
over their sides, and their engines were protected by bags of sand, coal, etc. 

t Vast quantities of cotton, steamers, ships, etc., were buraed by the order of the 
governor of Louisiana, and the military commander of the Confederate States, to 
prevent their falling into Federal hands. Pollard says : " No sooner had the Federal 
fleet turned the point and come within sight of the city, than the work of destruction 
commenced. \ ast columns of smoke darkened the face of heaven and obscured the 
noonday sun ; for five miles along the levee fierce flames darted through the lurid 
atmosphere. Great ships and steamers wrapped in fire floated down the river, 
thre.itening the Federal vessels with destruction. Fifteen thousand bates of cotton, 
worth one million and a half of dollars, were consumed. About a dozen large river 
steamboats, twelve or fifteen ships, a great floating battery, several unfinished gun- 
boats, the immense ram Mississippi, and the docks on the other side of the river, 
were all embraced in the fiery sacrifice." 



232 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[18621 




FAKRAGUT BEFORE NEW ORLEANS. 



the Union guns. The forts being now threatened in the rear 
by the army, soon surrendered. Captain FaiTagut afterward 
ascended the river, taking possession of Baton Eouge and 
Natchez, and, running the batteries at Vicksburg, joined the 
Union fleet above. 

Bumside's Expedition against Roanoke Island* 
was an important step toward the enforcement of the blockade. 
The Confederate forts were captured, and the fleet destroyed. 
Kewbern — an important seaport — Elizabeth City, and, finally, 
Fort Macon, at the entrance to Beaufort harbor, were taken. 
Thus all the coast of North Carolina, with its intricate net- 
work of water communication, fell into the Union hands. 

* Roanoke Island, the Pcene of Raleigh's colonization scheme, was the key to all 
the rear defences of Norfolk. " It unlocked two sounds, eight rivers, four canals, 
and two railroads." It controlled largely the transmission of supplies to that region, 
afforded an excellent harbor and a convenient rendezvous for ships, and exposed a 
large country to attack. 



1862.] EPOCH V. 233 

Florida and Georgia Expeditions. — After its cap- 
ture in the autumn of 1861, Port Royal became the base of 
operations against Florida and Georgia. Fernandina, Fort 
Clinch, Jacksonville, Darien, and St. Augustine, were taken. 
Fort Pulaski, also, was reduced after a severe bombardment, 
and thus the port of Savannah was closed. At the end of the 
year every city of the Atlantic sea-coast, except Savannah, 
Charleston, and Mobile, was held by the Federal armies. 

The Merrimac and the Monitor. — About noon, 
March 8, the long-looked-for iron-clad Merrimac,* convoyed by 
a fleet of small vessels, steamed into Hampton Roads. Steering 
directly for the sloop-of-war Cumberland, whose terrific broad- 
sides glanced harmlessly " like so many peas " from the Merri- 
mac's iron roof, she struck her squarely with her u'on beak, mak- 
ing a hole large enough for a man to enter. The Cumber- 
land, with all on board, went down.f Warned by the fate of 
his companion, the captain of the frigate Congress ran his ves- 
sel ashore, but the Merrimac, taking a position astern, deliber- 
ately fired shells into her till the helpless crew were forced to 
surrender. At sunset, the Merrimac returned to Norfolk, 
awaiting, the next day, an easy victory over the rest of the 
Union fleet All was dehght and anticipation among the 
Confederates ; all was dismay and dismal foreboding among the 
Federals. That night the Monitor]; arrived in harbor. Though 

* When the navy-yard at Norfolk was g:iven up, the steam-frigate Merrimac, the 
finest in the service, was scuttled. The Confederates afterward raised her, razeed 
her deck, and fitted her with an iron prow, and a sloping iron roof. Thus prepared, 
she looked not unlike a great house sunk in the water to the eaves. It was known 
that she was preparing, and her coming was eagerly expected. 

+ As the Cumberland sank, her crew continued to work their guns until the ves- 
t»el plunsed beneath the sea. Her flag was never struck, but floated above the water 
from her mast-head after she had gone down. 

t This "Yankee cheese-box.'" as it was nicknamed at the time, was the invention 
of Captain E'-ic«son. It was a hull, with the deck a few inches above the water, and in 
the centre a curious round tower made to slowly revolve by steam-i)0wer, thus turn- 
ing the two gune it contained in every direction. The upper part of the hull, which 
was exposed to the enemy's fire, projected several feet laeyond the lower part, and 




234 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1862. 

of but nine hundred tons burden, she prepared to meet her ad- 
versary of five thousand. Early in the morning the Merrimac 
appeared, moving toward the steam-frigate Minnesota. Sud- 
denly, from under her lee, the little Monitor darted out, and 
hurled at the monster two one hundred and sixty-eight pound 

balls. Startled by the 
appearance of this un- 
expected and queer- 
looking antagonistjthe 
Merrimac poured in a 
1 broadside, such as the 
night before had de- 
stroyed the Congi'ess, 

THE MOKITOK. ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^j^ ^^^^^^^ 

harmlessly off the Monitor's turret, or broke and fell in 
pieces on the deck. Then began the battle of the iron ships. 
It was the first of the kind in the world. Close against each 
other, iron rasping on iron, they exchanged their heaviest vol- 
leys. Five times the Merrimac tiied to run down the Mon- 
itor, but her huge beak only grated over the iron deck, while 
the Monitor glided out unharmed. Despairing of doing any- 
thing with her doughty little antagonist, the Merrimac now 
steamed back to Norfolk.* 

Tlie Effect of this contest can hardly be overestimated. 
Had the Merrimac triumphed, aided by other iron vessels 
then being prepared by the Confederacy, she might have 
destroyed the rest of the Union fleet in Hampton Roads, 
reduced Fortress Monroe, prevented the Peninsular campaign 



was made of thick white oak, covered with iron plating six inches thick on the sides 
and two inches on deck. 

* As she drew off she hurled a last shot, which, striking the Monitor's pilot-honse, 
broke a bar of iron nine by twelve inches, serionply injuring the eyes of the gallant 
commander. Lieutenant Worden, who was at thaft moment looking out through a 
narrow slit and directing the fire of his {juns. 



1862.] EPOCH V 235 

(see below), steamed up the Potomac and terrified the capital, 
sailed along the coast and broke np the blockade, swept 
through the shipping at New York, opened the way for foreign 
supplies, made an egress for cotton, and perhaps secured the 
acknowledgment of the Confederacy by European nations. 
On this battle hinged the fate of the war.* 



THE WAR IN THE EAST. 

The Peninsalar Campaigti. — Richmond was here the 
objective point. It being decided to make the advance by 
way of the Peninsula, the Army of the Potomac was carried 
downf the river from Washington in transports. Landing at 
Fortress Monroe about one hundred thousand strong (April 4), 
they marched toward Yorktown. 

Siege of Yorlctown. — At this place, General Magruder, 
with only about five thousand men, by his masterly skill 
maintained so bold a front along a fine thirteen miles in 
length, that McClellan was brought to a stop. Heavy guns 
were ordered from Washington, and a regular siege begun. 
As McClellan was ready to open fire, Magruder, having de- 
layed the Union army a month, quietly retired. J; When the 

* The story of this conflict spread over the globe. It seemed to give the death- 
stroke to wooden war vessels. The monitor system not only presented the Union with 
a vessel which could cope with all the other Confederate iron-clads, render the 
blockade more efficient, bombard forts, and protect the coast against all fear of for- 
eign invasion, but it rendered the United States the most formidable naval power in 
the world. 

t Previous to this (IMarch 10), McClellan made an advance toward Manassas, where 
the Confederates had remained intrenched since McDowell's defeat. The fortifica- 
tions, which were evacuated on his approach, were found to be quite insignificant, 
and to be mounted partly with " Quaker guns," i. e., logs shaped and painted to imi- 
tate artillery. This incident excited much ridicule through the country. 

X On the evacuation of Yorktown — the Confederate forces being concentrated for 
the defence of Richmond— Norfolk was abandoned, the Navy Yard burned, and the 
Merrimac, the pride of the South, blown up. United States troops from Fortress 
Monroe took possession of the city, and gunboats sailed up James River as far as 
Fort Darling. Here a plunging fire from the bluff forbade further advance. 



236 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1862. 




MAP OF THE PENINSULA. 



movement was discovered, a vigorous pursuit "vvas com- 
menced. 

Battle of Williamshurg (May 5). — The Confederate rear- 
guard, now reinforced fi'om Johnston's * army at Richmond, 
stopj)ed in the forts at Williamshurg to gain 
time for the baggage train, and a fierce battle 

cit once ensued. 
General Hooker, 
"Fighting Joe," 
with his divi- 
sion, maintain- 
ed the contest 
for nine hours. 
Other troops at 
last an'ived on 
the bloody field, 
the works were carried by assault, and the pursuit continued 
to within seven miles of Richmond. 

Riclimond Threatened. — There was a great panic in the 
city, and the Confederate Congress hastily adjourned. Every- 
thing looked like an immediate attack, when McClellan dis- 
covered that a Confederate force was at Hanover Court House. 
This threatened his communications by rail with White House 
Landing, and also with General McDowell, who, with thirty 
thousand men, was marching from Fredericksburg to join him. 
General Fitz John Porter, after a shai'p skirmish, captured 
Hanover Court House. The army looked now hourly for 
McDowell's aid in the approaching great contest. " McClel- 
lan's last orders at night were that McDowell's signals were 
to be watched for, and without delay reported to him." But 

* This was General Joseph E. Johnston, who so unexpectedly hroiiorht bis men to 
take part in the battle of Bull Run (p. 220). He was wounded in the battle of Seven 
Pines, but appeared again in two campaigns against Sherman (pp. 257, 272). General 
Albert Sydney Johnston was killed in the battle of Shiloh (p. 226). 



1862.] EPOCH V. * 237 

General Johnston was too shrewd to permit this conjunction. 
He accordingly ordered General Jackson to move up the 
Shenandoah Valley and threaten Washington. 

Jachso7i in the Shenandoah. — Stonewall Jackson being re- 
inforced by General Ewell's division of ten thousand men, 
hurried down the valley after Banks at Strasburg. The Union 
troops fell back, and by the most tremendous exertions — 
*' marching thirty-five miles in a single day " — succeeded in 
escaping across the Potomac. Great was the consternation in 
Washington. The President took militaiy possession of all 
the railroads. The governors of the Northern States were 
called upon to send militia to the defence of the capital. 
Fremont at Franklin, Banks at Harper's Ferry, and McDowell 
at Fredericksburg, were ordered to capture Jackson. It was 
high time for this dashing leader to be alarmed. He' rapidly 
retreated, burning the bridges as he joassed. Fremont 
brought him to bay at Cross Keys* (June 8), but was 
hurled off. Shields struck at him at Port RepuUic, the next 
day, but was driven back five miles, while Jackson made good 
his escape from the Shenandoah valley, having burned the 
bridges behind him. 

The effect of this adroit movement was e^ddent. With 
fifteen thousand men, Jackson had occupied the attention of 
three major-generals and sixty thousand men, prevented 

* In the skirmishing preceding this action, General Ashby, a Confederate cavalry 
officer, was killed. He was an accomplished and dashing leader. He is said to have 
at one time cut his way through three hundred men and returned, having seized their 
flag with his own hand and captured many prisoners. " His life," says Pollard, 
*' was a beautiful poem, a legacy to his countrymen." 

t When the Federal forces took possession of the bridge over the Shenandoah, 
Jackson and his staff were on the south side, his army being on the north side. It is 
said that "he rode toward the bridge, and rising in his stirrups, called sternly to the 
Federal officer commanding the artillery placed to sweep it : ' Who ordered you to 
post that gun there, sir ? Bring it over here !' The bewildered officer bowed, 
limbered up his piece, and actually prepared to move, Jackson and his stafl" seized 
the lucky moment and dashed across the bridge before the gun could be brought to 
bear with any effect upon them." 



238 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1862. 

McDowell's junction, alarmed Washington, and saved Eicli- 
mond. 

Battle of Fair Oaks (May 31, June 1). — While these stir- 
ring events had been going on in the Shenandoah Valley, 
McClellan had pushed his left wing across the Chickahominy. 
A terrible storm had flooded the swamps, turned the roads to 
mud, and converted the Chickahominy Creek into a broad 
river. Johnston seized the opportunity to fall with tremen- 
dous force upon the exposed wing. At first, the Confederates 
swept all before them,* but General Sumner throwing his 
men across the tottering bridges over the Chickahominy, 
checked the column which was trying to seize the bridges 
and thus separate the two portions of the army. General 
Johnston was severely wounded. Night put an end to the 
contest. In the morning, the Confederates renewed the at- 
tack, but the loss of their general was fatal, and they WTre 
repulsed in great disorder. 

The Union Army Checked. — General Lee, who now 
took command of the Confederate army, Ava^ anxious to as- 
sume the offensive. General Stuart led off (June 12) with a 
bold cavalry raid, in which he seized and burned supplies 
along the railroad leading to White House, made the entire 
circuit of the Union army, and returned to Richmond in 
safety. McClellan also meditated an advance, and Hooker 
had pushed his pickets within sight of the Richmond steeples. 
At this moment, there came news of the " same apparition 
which had frightened Banks" in the Shenandoah. Stonewall 
Jackson had appeared near Hanover Court House, and threat- 
ened the Union communications with White House. There 



* Casey's division, which was the first attacked, had never been under fire before, 
and now had to receive the shock of nearly double its number of Lono'street's 
eoldiersi. The first warnin<^ of the battle was from two shells which suddenlv flow 
screaming over the camp. The bravery with which the men held their ground elicited 
from the enemy the warmest encomiums. 



1862.] 



EPOCH V . 



239 



was no longer any thought of moving on Eichmond. Hooker 
was recalled. McOlellan resolved to "change his base" of 
supply from the York Eiver to the James.* 

The Seven Days' Battles. — The very morning McClel- 
lan came to this decision, and ere the flank movement had 
commenced, Lee, massing his strength on his left, fell upon 
the Union right at Meclianicsville (June 2G). Having re- 
pulsed this attack, at dawnf the troops retired to Gaines's 
Hill J where by the most desperate exertions Porter held the 
bridges across the Chick- 
ahominy until night, and 
then, burning them, with- 
drew to the south bank. 
That night (June 28) Lee 
detected McClellan's move- 
ment, and instantly started 
columns along the roads 
that intersected the hue of 
retreat. Magruder struck 
the Federal flank (June 29) 
at Savage's Station. The 
Union troops maintained 
their position till night, and 
then continued the movement. Longstreet and Hill en- 
countered the line of march as it was passing Frazier's 
Farm (June 30), but could not break it. During the dark- 
ness, the Union troops, worn out by the constant marching or 
fighting and the terrible heat and dust, collected at Malvern, 




GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 



* The distance from Fair Oaks to James River is seventeen miles. Along the 
single road traversing the swamp, five thousand wagons, the heavy siege guns, and 
two thousand five hundred beef cattle, making in all a train forty miles long, w'ere to 
be passed. 

t During this famous retreat the army fought by day, to give time for the passage 
of the baggage trains, and fell back at night to a new position. 



240 UNITED STATES HISTOBY. [1862. 

On an elevated plateau rising in the fonn of an amphitheatre, 
on whose sloping sides were arranged tier upon tier of 
batteries, with gunboats protecting the left, the broken frag- 
ments of the splendid Army of the Potomac made their last 
stand (July 1). Here Lee received so bloody a check that he 
pressed the pursuit no further. The Union troops retired un- 
disturbed to Harrison's Landing. 

The Effect of this campaign was triumphant for the Con- 
federate cause. The Union retreat had been conducted with 
skill, the troops had shown great bravery and steadiness, the 
repulse at Malvern was decided, and Lee had lost probably 
twenty thousand men ; yet the siege of Richmond had been 
raised, ten thousand prisoners captured, immense stores taken 
or destroyed, and the Union army cooped up on James 
River, under the protection of the gunboats. The discourage- 
ment at the North was as great as after the battle of Bull 
Run. Lincoln called for a levy of three hundred thousand 
troops. 

Campaign against Pope. — Richmond being relieved 
from present peril, Lee threatened to march his victorious 
army against Washington. General Pope, who commanded 
the troops for the defence of that city, was stationed at the 
Rapidan. General McClellan was directed to transfer his 
army to Acquia Creek (see map, p. 261), and put it under 
the command of General Pope. Lee, now reheved from all 
fear for Richmond, immediately massed his troops against Pope 
to crush him before the Army of the Potomac could arrive.* 

Pope being held in check by the main army in front. Gen- 
eral Jackson was sent around Pope's right wing to flank him. 
Passing through Thoroughfare Gap he reached the railroad at 

* In the mean time Jackpon attacked Banks at Cedar Moyntain (AncniPt 9) and 
defeated him after a bloody battle, but, unable to maintain his position, fell back on 
Lee's advancin<? army. Pope, seeing the fearful odds against which he was to con- 
tend, took post behind the Rappahannock. 



1863.J EPOCH V. 241 

Bristoe's Station, in the rear of Pope's army (August 36). 
General Pope, seeing an opportunity while Lee's army was thus 
divided to cut it up in detail, turned upon Jackson. But the 
Army of the Potomac not promptly reinforcnig him, his plans 
failed, and instead of "bagging" Jackson's division, he was 
compelled, with only forty thousand men, to fight the entire 
Confederate army on the old battle-field of Bull Run. Ex- 
hausted, cut off from supplies, and overwhelmed by numbers, 
the shattered remains of the Army of the Potomac were glad 
to take refuge within the fortifications of Washington.* 

The Effect of this brief campaign was signal. The Union 
army had lost thirty thousand men and vast supplies, while 
the way to Washington w^as open to the Confederates. The 
Capital had not been in such peril since the w^ar began. 
Without, w^as a ^dctorious army ; wdthin, only broken battalions 
and no general. 

Invasion of Maryland. — Flushed with success, Lee now 
crossed the Potomac and entered Maryland,! hoping to secure 
volunteers and incite an insurrection. McClellan being re- 
stored to the command of the Army of the Potomac, reorgan- 
ized the shapeless mass and set out in pursuit. On the way 
he found a copy of Lee's order of march. Learning from this 
that Lee had divided his forces,^ and that but a portion re- 
mained in his front, he hastened in pursuit. Overtaking the 
Confederate rear at South Mountain, and forcing the passes, 
the Union army poured into the valley beyond. 

* During the pursuit by Lee's forces, an engagement took place at Chantilly (Sep. 
tember 1). It cost the Union army two able officers— Generals Stevens and Kearney. 
The latter, especially, was devotedly loved by his soldiers. On the battle-field, bran- . 
dishing his sword in his only hand, and taking the reins in his teeth, he had often 
led them in the most desperate and irresistible charges. 

t This was September 5, the very day that Bragg entered Kentucky on his great 
raid. 

X Lee had sent Jackson with twenty-five thousand men against Harper's Ferry. 
That redoubtable leader quickly carried the heights which overlook the village forced 
Colonel Miles, with eleven thousand men, to surrender, and then hastened back to 
take part in the approaching contest. 
11 



242 UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

Battle of Antietam (September 17). — Lee, perceiving his 
mistake, fell back across Antietam (An-te'-tam) Creek and hur- 
ried off couriers to hasten the return of his scattered corps. For- 
tunately for him, McClellan delayed his attack a day, and in the 
meantime Jackson had returned. At early dawn. Hooker fell 
upon the Confederate left, while Burnside, as soon as affairs 
looked favorable there, was to carry the bridge and attack 
their right. The Union army was over eighty thousand 
strong, and the Confederate but half that number. The 
Union advance was impetuous, but the Confederate defence 
was no less obstinate. Hooker was wounded, and his corps 
swept from the field. Both sides were reinforced. Burnside 
advanced, but too late to relieve the pressure on the Union 
right. Night ended this bloody fight. The morning found 
neither commander ready to assail his opponent. That night, 
Lee retired unmolested across the Potomac* Six weeks after, 
the Union army crossed into Virginia. 

The Effect of this indecisive battle was that of a Union vic- 
tory. The North was saved from invasion, and Washington 
from any danger of attack. Lincoln now determined to issue 
the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring freedom to all the 
slaves-t 

Battle of Fredericksburg. — General dissatisfaction be- 

* During this invasion the Confederate soldiers had endured every privation ; one- 
half were in rags, and thousands barefooted had marked their path with crimson. Yet 
shoeless, hatless, and ragged, they had marched and fought with a heroism like that 
of the Revolutionary times. But they met their equals at Antietam. Jackson's and 
Hooker's men fought until both sides were nearly exterminated, and when the broken 
fragments fell back the windrows of dead showed where their ranks had stood. 

t Lincoln prepared the original draft in the July preceding, when the Union 
forces were in the midst of reverses. Carpenter repeats President Lincoln's words 
thus : " I put the draft of the proclamation aside, waiting for a victory. Well, the 
next news we had was of Pope's disaster at Bull Run. Things looked darker than 
ever. Finally came the week of the battle of Antietam. I determined to wait no 
longer. The news came, I think, on Wednesday, that the advantage was on our 
side. I was then staying at the Soldier's Home. Here I finished writing the 
second draft of the proclamation ; came up on Saturday ; called the Cabinet togetiier 
to hear it, and it was ])ublished the following Monday. / made a solemn vow before 
God, that if General Lee was driven back from Maryland I would crown the result 
by the declaration of freedom to the slaves ? " 



18G2.] EPOCH V. 243 

ing expressed at the slowness with which McClellan pursued 
the retreating amiy, General Burnside was appointed his suc- 
cessor. Crossing the Rappahannock on pontoon bridges at 
Fredericksburg, he attempted (December 13) to storm the 
works in the rear of the town. The Confederates, intrenched 
behind a long stone wall, and on heights crowned with artil-» 
lery, easily repulsed the repeated assaults of the Union troops. 
Night mercifully put an end to the finitless massacre. The 
Federal loss was over twelve thousand, nearly half of whom fell 
before the fatal stone wall.* The survivors drew back into the 
city, and the next night crept quietly across the bridges to 
their old camping gi'ound. 

General Review of the Second Year cf the War. — 
The Confederates had gained the victories of Jackson in 
the Shenandoah ; of Lee in the Peninsular campaign and 
those against Pope ; Bragg's great raid in Kentucky ; and 
the battles of Cedar Mountain, Chickasaw Bluff, and Fred- 
ericksburg. 

The Federals had taken Foris Henry, Donelson, Pulaski, 
Macon, Jackson, St. Philip, and Island No. 10 ; had opened 
the Mississippi to Vicksburg, occupied New Orleans, Roanoke 
Island, Newbern, Yorktown, Norfolk and Memphis; had 
gained the battles of Pea Ridge, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, 
South Mountain, Antietam, luka, Corinth and Murfreesboro, 



* This solid stone wall, four feet high, completely sheltered the troops, while they 
poured a murderous fire upon the attacking party. In the assault, Meagher's Irish 
troops especially distinguished themselves, leaving two-thirds of their number on 
the field of their heroic action. The London Times' correspondent, who watched the 
battle from the heights, speaking of their desperate valor, says: " Never at Fonte- 
noy, Albuera, nor at Waterloo was more undoubted courage displayed by the sons of 
Erin- than during those six frantic dashes which they directed against the almost 
impregnable position of their foe. That any mortal man could have carried the posi- 
tion, d'efended as it was, it seems idle for a moment to believe. But the bodies which 
lie in dense masses within forty-eight yards of the muzzles of Colonel Walton's guns 
are the best evidence what manner of men they were who pressed on to death with 
the dauntlessness of a race which has gained glory on a thousand battle-fields, and 
never more richly deserved it than at the foot of Marye's Heights, on the 13th day of 
December, 1862." 



244 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1862. 

and had put to flight the Merrimac. The marked successes 
were mainly at the West and along the coast ; while in Vir- 
ginia, as yet, defeats had followed victories so soon as to 
hide their memory. 

THE SIOUX WAR. 

In the midst of this civil strife, the Sioux (soo) Indians 
hecame dissatisfied with the Indian traders, and the non- 
payment of the money due them. Bands of warriors under 
Little Crow and other chiefs pei-petrated the most honible 
massacres in Minnesota, Iowa, and Dacotah. Over seven 
hundred whites were slain, and many thousands driven from 
their homes. Colonel Sibley, after a month's pursuit of 
the savages, routed them, and took five hundred prisoners. 
Thirty-nine were hung on one scaffold, at Mankato, Minn., 
December 26. 

1863. 

The Situation. — The plan of the war w^as the same as 
in the preceding year, but included also the occupation of 
Tennessee. The Federal army was about seven hundred 
thousand strong; the Confederate, not more than half that 
number. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued at the 
opening of the year. 

THE WAR IN THE WEST. 

The Second Expedition Against Vicksburg. — Grant 
continued his great task of opening the Mississippi. After 
several weeks of fruitless effort against Vicksburg upon the 
north, he marched down the west side of the river, while 
the gunboats, running the batteries,* passed below the 

* The mnnins; of the batteries with transports was considered so hazardous that 
the officers would not order their crews to take the fearful risk, but called for volun- 
teers. So many privates offered themselves, that they were compelled to djjaw lots. 



1863.] 



EPOCH V. 



245 




VICINITY OF VICKSBURG. 



city and ferried tlie army across. Hastening forward, he de- 
feated the Confederate advance under Pemberton, at Port Gib- 
son (May 1). Learning that 
General Jos. E. Johnston 
was coming to Pemberton's 
assistance, he rapidly pushed 
between them to Jackson, 
that, while holding back 
Johnston with his right hand, 
with his left he might drive 
Pemberton into Vicksburg, 
and thus capture his whole 

army. Pursuing this design, he defeated Johnston at Jackson 
(May 14), and then, turning to the west, drove Pemberton 
fi'om his position at Champion Hills (May 16) ; next at Big 
Black River (May 17) ; and in seventeen days from the time 
he landed, Pemberton's army was shut up within the in- 
trenchments at Vicksburg. Here two desperate assaults 
failed. The Union troops then threw up intrenchments. 
Mines and counter-mines were dug. Not one of the garri- 
son could show his head above the works without being 
picked off by the watchful riflemen. A hat, held above a 
port-hole, was pierced in two minutes with fifteen balls. 
Shells reached all paris of the city. The inhabitants bur- 
rowed in caves to escape the iron storm which rained upon 
them. The garrison, worn out by forty-seven days in the 
trenches, surrendered on the 4th of July. 

Tlie Effect. — This campaign cost the Confederates five 
battles, the cities of Vicksburg and Jackson, thirty-seven 



One boy, drawing a Incky nnmber, was offered $100 for his chance, but refnsed it, 
and lived to tell the story. The ganntlet of batteries extended eight milea. The 
first gunboat crept silently down in the shadow of the trees which lined the bank. 
The Confederates at Vicksburg discovering the movement, kindled a bonfire which 
lighted up the whole scene, and made the other vessels a fair target for their gunners. 



246 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1863. 

thousand prisoners, ten thousand killed and wounded, and 
immense stores. On the fall of Vicksburg, Port Hudson, 
which had been besieged by General Banks for many weeks, 
surrendered.* The Mississippi was now open to the Gulf, 
and the Confederacy was cut in twain. One great object of 
the North was accomplished. 

THE WAR IN TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA. 

Rosecrans, after the battle of Murfreesboro, made no for- 
mal movement until June.f With sixty thousand men, he 
then marched against Bragg. By threatening his commu- 
nications, he compelled Bragg to evacuate Chattanooga J; 
(Sept. 8). Eosecrans pushed on in pursuit of Bragg, whom 
he supposed to be in full retreat. Bragg, however, having 
received powerful reinforcements, turned upon his pursuers 
so suddenly, that they narrowly escaped being cut up in 
detail while scattered along a line forty miles in length. 
The Union forces rapidly concentrated, and the two armies 
met on the Chickamauga.§ 

* To escape the fieiy tempest which constantly swept over Port Hudson, and to 
provide for the safety of their magazines, the garrison dug deep recesses in the 
i)luff8, approached by steps cut out of the earth. An eye-witness says : " As we rode 
along the earthworks inside, after the siege, it was curious to mark the ingenious 
ways in which they had burrowed holes to shelter themselves from shell and from 
the intolerable rays of the sun ; while at work, they must have looked like so many 
rabbits popping in and out of their warrens." 

+ One objection which Rosecrans opposed to a forward movement was his inferi- 
ority in cavalry. This was removed in July, when General John H. Morgan, with 
about four thousand Confederate cavalry, crossed the Ohio at Brandenburg, swei)t 
around Cincinnati, and struck the river again near Parkersburg. During his entire 
route, he had been harassed by militia. At this point he was overtaken by his pur- 
suers, while gunboats in the river prevented his crossing. Nearly the entire force 
was captured. Morgan escaped, but was finally taken and confined in the peniten- 
tiary at Columbus. Four months afterward, he broke jail and reached Richmond fn 
safety. 

t General Bragg had here an opportunity to be shut up in Chattanooga, asPember- 
ton had been in Vicksburg ; but, a more acute strategist, he knew the value of au 
army in the field to be greater than that of any fortified city. 

§ In the Indian language, the " River of Death "—an ominous name I 



1863.] 



EPOCH V. 



247 



Battle of Chickamauga (September 19, 20). — The first 
day's fight was indecisive. About noon of the second day, 
the Federal hne became broken from the movement of troops 
to help the left wing, then hard pressed. Longstreet caught 
the opportunity, pushed a brigade into the gap, and swept 
the Federal rio^ht and centre from the field. The rushins: 
crowd of fugitives bore Eosecrans himself away. In this crisis 
of the battle all depended on the left, under Thomas. If 
that yielded, the army would be utterly routed. All through 
the long afternoon the entire Confederate army surged against 
it. But Thomas held fast.* At night he deliberately with- 
drew to Chattanooga, picking up five hundred prisoners on 
the way. The Union army, how- 
ever, defeated in the field, was 
now shut up in its intrenchments. 
Bragg occupied the hills com- 
manding the city, and cut ofi" its 
communications. The garrison was 
threatened with starvation.! 

Battle of ChattanoogaJ: (Nov. 
24, 25). — Grant ha\dng been ap- 
pointed successor to Eosecrans, im- 
mediately hastened to Chattanooga.§ 
Afl\iirs soon wore a different look. 
Hooker came with two corps from the Army of the Potomac ; || 

* He was thenceforth styled the " Rock of Chickamauga." He was in command of 
men as brave as himself Col. George, of the Second Minnesota, being asked " How 
long can you hold this pass ?" replied, " Until the regiment is mustered out of service." 
t " Starvation had so destroyed -the animals that there were not artillery horses 
enough to take a battery into action. The number of mules that perished was 
graphically indicated by one of the soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee : ' The 
mud was so deep that we could not travel by the road, but we got along pretty well 
by stepping from mule to mule as they lay dead by the way.' " — Draper. 

X In the Cherokee language, " The Hawk's Nest." 

§ Thomas held command after Eosecrans left, and Grant was afraid he might sur- 
render before reinforcements could reach him, and therefore telegraphed him to hold 
fast. The characteristic reply was, " I will stay till I starve." 

II Twenty-three thousand strong, they were carried by rail from the Rapidan, in 




VICINITY OF CHATTANOOGA. 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1863. 



and Sherman hastened by forced marches from luka, two hun- 
dred miles away. Communications were re-estabhshed. 1 homus 
made a dash* and seized Orchard Knob (November 23). The 
following day Hooker charged the fortifications on Lookout 
Mountain. f His troops had been ordered to stop on the high 
ground, but, carried away by the ardor of the attack, they 
swept over the crest, driving the enemy before them. Through 
the mist that filled the valley, the anxious watchers below 
caught only glimpses of this far-famed "battle above the 
clouds.'*' The next morning Hooker advanced on the south 
of Missionary Kidge. Sherman during the whole time had 
been pounding away on the northern flank. Grant, from his 
position on Orchard Knob, perceiving that the Confederate 
line in front of him was being weakened to repel these attacks 
on the flanks, saw that the critical moment had come,J; and 
launched Thomas's corps on* its centre. The orders were to 
take the rifle-pits at the foot of Missionary Ridge, then halt 
and re-form ; but the men forgot it all, carried the works at 



Virginia, to Stevenson, in Alabama, eleven hundred and ninety-two miles, in seven 
days. They ate their rations as they rode. Not a moment was lost. The enemy did not 
know of their change of base until Hooker appeared in front. 

* It was a beautiful day. The men had on their best uniforms, and the bands dis- 
coursed the liveliest music. The hills were crowded with spectators. The Con- 
federates on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge could see every movement. 
Bragg's pickets stood leaning on their muskets watching Thomas's columns drawn 
up as if on parade. Suddenly the Union line broke into a double quick, and the 
review was turned into a battle. 

t The first day the Confederate left rested on Lookout Mountain, there two thon- 
Band four hundred feet high ; the right, along Missionary Ridge— so called because 
upon it, many years ago. Catholic missionaries had Indian schools ; and the centre, 
in the valley between. The second day their army simply occupied Missionary 
Ridge, in the centre of their former line, in front of Grant at Orchard Knob. 

t Grant ha 1 been waiting f^r this. The signals for the attack had been arranged : 
six cannon-«hots, fired at intervals of two seconds. The moment arrived. " Strong 
and steady the order rang out : ' Number one, fire ! Number two, fire I Number 
three, fire 1 '" "It seemed to me," says an eye-witness, "like the tolling of the 
clock of destiny. And when at 'Number six. fire !' the roar throbbed out with the 
flash, yon should have seen the dead line, that had been lying behind the works all 
day, come to resurrection in the twinkling of an eye, and leap like a blade from its 
scabbard." 



1863.] 



EPOCH V. 



249 



the base, and then swept on up the ascent. Grant caught the 
inspiration, and ordered a grand charge along the whole front. 
Up they went, over rocks and chasms, all lines broken, the 
flags far ahead, each surrounded by a group of the bravest. 
Without firing a shot, and heedless of the tempest hurled 




CHANGING UP MISSIONARY RIDGE. 



upon them, they surmounted the crest, captured the guns, 
and turned them on the retreating foe. That night the Union 
camp-fires, glistening along the heights about Chattanooga, 
proclaimed the success of this, the most brilliant of Grant's 
achievements and the most picturesque of all the battles of 
the war. 

The Effects of this campaign were the utter rout of Bragg's 
army, the resignation of that general, and the possession 
of Chattanooga by the Union forces. This post gave con- 



250 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1863. 

trol of East Tennessee, and opened the way to the heart 
of the Confederacy. It became the doorway by which the 
Union army gained easy access to Virginia, North and South 
Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. 

THE WAR IN EAST TENNESSEE. 

While Rosecrans was moving on Chattanooga, Burnside, 
being relieved of the command of the Army of the Potomac, 
was sent into East Tennessee, where he met with great suc- 
cess. In the mean time the Confederate President Davis, 
having visited Bragg, and thinking Chattanooga sure to be 
captured, sent Longstreet with his corps to the defence of 
Tennessee. His men were in a deplorable state — hungry, 
ragged, and tentless ; but under this indefatigable leader, they 
shut up Burnside's force in Knoxville (September 17). Mean- 
while, Grant, in the moment of his splendid triumph at Chat- 
tanooga, ordered Sherman's torn, bleeding, barefoot troops 
over terrible roads one hundred miles to Burnside's rehef. 
Longstreet, in order to anticipate the arrival of these rein- 
forcements, made a desperate assault upon Burnside (Novem- 
ber 29), but it was as heroically repulsed. As Sherman's 
advance guard reached Knoxville (December 4), Longstreet's 
troops filed out of their works in retreat. 

THE WAR IN THE EAST. 

Battle of Chancellors ville (May 2, 3). — Burnside, after 
the defeat at Fredericksburg, was succeeded by General 
Hooker (January 26). The departure of Longstreet to help 
Bragg, leaving Lee only sixty thousand to oppose to the 
Potomac army of over one hundred thousand, offered a 
favorable opportunity for an attack. Accordingly, Sedg- 
wick was left to carry the intrenchments at Fredericksburg, 
while the main body crossed the Rappahannock some miles 



1863.J EPOCH V. 251 

above, and took position in tlie wilderness near Cliancel- 
lorsville. Lee, rel^dng on tlie dense woods to conceal his 
movements, risked the perilous chance of dividing his army in 
the presence of a superior enemy. While he kept up a show 
of fight in front, Jackson, by a detour of fifteen miles, got to 
the rear with twenty thousand men, and, bursting out of the 
dense woods like a tempest, routed the Union right. During 
the night. Hooker took a new position; but by constant 
attacks through the day, Lee gradually forced the IJnion 
line from the field of battle, and captured Chancellor House.* 
As he was preparing for a final grand charge, word was re- 
ceived that Sedgwick had crossed the Eappahannock, taken 
Fredericksburg, and had fallen on his rear. Drawing back, 
he turned against this new antagonist and, by severe fighting 
that night and the next day, compelled him to recross the 
river. Lee then went to look after Hooker, but found him 
gone. The Army of the Potomac was soon back on its old 
camping ground opposite Fredericksburg. f 

Lee's Second Invasion of the North. — Lee, encour- 
aged by his success, now determined to carry the war into 
the Northern States, and dictate terms of peace in Philadel- 
phia or New York.]; With the finest army the South had 

* A pillar on the veranda of this house, against which Hooker was leaning, being 
struck by a cannon-ball, that general was stunned, and for an hour, in the heat of the 
fight, the army was deprived of its commander. 

t In this battle the South was called to mourn the death of Stonewall Jackson, 
whose magical name was worth to their cause more than an army. In the evening 
after his successful onslaught upon the flank of the Union line, while riding back to 
camp from a reconnoissance at the front, he was fired upon by his own men, who 
mistook his escort for Federal cavalry. 

X The Union disasters which had happened since the beginning of the year encour- 
aged this hope. Galveston, Texas, had been retaken by General Magruder, whereby 
not only valuable stores had been acquired, but a sea-port had been opened, and the 
Union cause in that State depressed. Burnside had been checked in his victorious 
career in Tennessee (p. 250). The naval attack on Charleston had proved a failure 
(p. 254). An attempt to capture Fort McAllister had met with no success. Eose- 
crans had made no progress against Bragg. Banks had not then taken Port 
Hudson, Vicksburg still'kept Grant at bay. The Army of the Potomac had been 
checked at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsyille, and at one time two hundred soldiers 



2b'Z 



UXITED STATES niSTOKY 



[1863. 



ever sent forth, the flower of her troops, carefully equipped 
and confident of success, he rapidly moved down the Shenan- 
doah, crossed the Potomac, and advanced to Chambershurg. 
The Union army followed along the east side of the Blue 
Eidge and South Mountains. Lee, fearing that Meade, who 
now commanded the Federals, would strike through some of 
the passes and cut off his communications with Eichmond, 
turned east to threaten Baltimore, and thus draw off Meade 
for its defence. 

Battle of G-ettysburg (July 
1-3).— First Dai/.— The Confeder- 
ate advance unexpectedly met the 
Union cavalry just westward from 
Gettysburg, on the Chambershurg 
road.* Eeinforcements came up on 
both sides, but the Federal troops 
were finally forced back, and, be- 
coming entangled in the streets of 
the village, lost many prisoners. All 
that night the troops kept arriving 
and taking their positions by moon- 
light, to be ready for the contest which they saw was now at 
hand.f The armies were each about eighty thousand strong. 




VICINITY OF GETTYSBURG, 



per day were deserting its ranks. The term of service of forty thousand men had 
expired, and the total Union strength was now only eighty thout^and. The coet of 
the war was enormous, and a strong peace party had arisen at the North. The draft 
was very unpopular. Indeed, during Lee's invasion, a riot broke out in New York 
to resist it; houses were burned, negroes were pursued in the streets and, when cap- 
tured, were beaten, and even hung ; for three days the city was a scene of outrage 
and violence. 

* Neither general had planned to have the fight at this place ; Lee had intended 
not to fight at all, except a defensive battle, and Meade proposed to make the contest 
at Pipe Creek, about fifteen miles southeast from Gettysburg. The movement of 
cavahy which brought on this great battle was only a screen to conceal the Union 
anny marching towards Meade's desired battle-field. — Drajter. 

i The Union line was upon a fish-hook-shaped ridge about six miles long, with 
Gulp's Hill at the barb. Cemetery Ridge along the side, and Little Kound Top and 
Round Top, two eminences, at the eye. The Confederate line was on Seminary 
Ridge, at a distance of about a mile and a half. The Uuion troops lay bohind rock 



1863.] EPOCH V. 253 

Second Day. — In the afternoon, Longstreet led the first 
grand charge against the Union left, in order to secure Little 
Round Top. General Sickles, by mistake, had here taken r^ 
position in front of Meade's intended line of battle. The Con- 
federates, far out-flanking, swung around him, but as they 
reached the top of the hill they met a brigade which Warren 
had sent just in time to defeat this attempt. Sickles was, 
however, driven back to Cemetery Ridge, where he stood firm. 
Ewell, in an attack on the Federal right, succeeded in getting 
a position on Culp's Hill.* 

TJiird Day. — At one o'clock p. m., Lee suddenly opened on 
Cemetery Ridge with one hundred and fifty guns. For two 
hours the air was alive with shells. f Then the cannonade 
lulled, and out of the woods swept the Confederate double 
battle-line, over a mile long, and preceded by a cloud of 
skirmishers. A thrill of admiration ran along the Union 
ranks, as, silently and with disciphned steadiness, that 
magnificent column of eighteen thousand men moved up 
the slope of Cemetery Ridge. A hundred guns tore great 
gaps in their front. Infantry volleys smote their ranks. 
Their line was broken, yet they pushed forward. They 
planted their battle-flags on the breastworks. They bayoneted 
the cannoneers at their guns. They fought, hand to hand, 
so close that the exploding powder scorched their clothes. 
Upon this seething mass the Federals converged from every 
side. No human endurance could stand the storm. Out 



ledges and stone walls. The Confederates were largely hidden in the woods. In the 
valley between, were fields of grain and pastures where cattle were feeding all un- 
conscious of the gathering stonn. 

* Lee, encouraged by these successes, resolved to continue the fight. The Confed- 
erate victories, however, were only apparent. Sickles had been forced into a better 
position than at first, and the one which Meade had intended he should occupy; 
and Ewell was driven out of the Union works early the next morning. 

t It is customary in battle to demoralize the enemy before a grand infantry charge, 
by concentrating upon the desired point a tremendous artillery fire. 



2b4: U KITED STATES HISTORY. [1863. 

of that terrible fire whole companies rushed as prisoners into 
the Union lines, while the wreck fled panic-stricken from the 
field* 

The Federal loss in the three days' fight was twenty-three 
thousand, and the Confederate, thirty-six thousand. Meade 
slowly followed Lee, who re-crossed the Potomac, and took 
position back of the Eapidan. 

TJie Effect of this battle was to put an end to the idea of 
Northern invasion. Lee's magnificent aiTuy was reduced to 
forty thousand. The veterans who went do^\Ti in the awful 
charges of Gettysburg could never be replaced. 

THE WAR ON THE SEA AND THE COAST. 

Attack on Charleston (April 7). — Such was the confi- 
dence felt in the ability of the iron-clads to resist cannon- 
balls, that Admiral Dupont determined to run the fortifications 
at the entrance to Charleston, and force his way up to the 
city. The attempt was a disastrous failure.f General Gil- 
more now took charge of the Union troops, and, landing on 
Moms Island,]; by regular siege approaches and a terrible 
bombardment captured Eort Wagner § and reduced Fort 

* At the very moment when the last charge was being repulsed, Pemherton was 
negotiating for the surrender of Vicksbnrg to Grant. This was the turning-point of 
t.ie war. From that time the Confederacy began to wane. 

t The Keokuk was sunk and nearly all the vessels were seriously injured. The 
oflScers declared that the strokes of the shots against the iron sides of their ships 
were as rapid as the ticks of a watch. 

t In a marsh west of Morris Island, piles were driven in the mud twenty feet deep, 
and a platform made on which wa?* placed an eight-inch rifled Parrot gun. which was 
nicknamed the " Swamp Angel." It threw shells five miles into Charleston, but 
burst on the thirty-sixth round. The bombardment of the city was afterward con- 
tinued from the other batteries. 

§ Two unsuccessful charges were made on this fort. In one, the 54th regiment. 
Colonel Shaw, bore a prominent part. It was the first colored regiment organized in 
the free States. In order to be in season for the assault it had marched two days 
through heavy sands and drenching storms. With only five minutes rest it took its 
place at the front of the attacking column. The men fought with unflinching gal- 
lantry, and planted their flag on the works ; but their colonel, and so many of the ofll- 



1863.] EPOCH V. 255 

Sumter to a shapeless mass of rubbish. A short time after, a 
party of sailors from the Union fleet essayed to capture it by 
night, but its garrison, upstarting from the ruins, drove them 
back with great loss. 

General Review of the Third Year of the War. — 
The Confederates had gained the great battles of Chicka- 
mauga and Chancellorsville, seized Galveston, and success- 
fully resisted every attack on Charleston. 

The Federals had gained the battles before Vicksburg, and 
at Chattanooga and Gettysburg. They had captured the 
garrisons of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. The Mississippi 
was patrolled by gunboats, and the supplies from the West 
were entirely cut off from the Confederate army. Arkansas, 
East Tennessee, large portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, 
and Texas, as far as the Rio Grande, had been won for the 
Union. 



1864. 

The Situation. — In March, General Grant was made 
Lieutenant-General in command of all the forces of the 
United States. Heretofore the different armies had acted in- 
dependently. They were now to move in concert and thus 
prevent the Confederate forces from aiding each other. The 
strength of the South lay in the armies of Lee in Virginia, 
and Jos. E. Johnston in Georgia. Grant was to attack the 
foi-mer, Sherman the latter, and both were to keep at work 

cers were shot, that what was left of the regiment was led off by a boy— Lt. Higglnson. 
No measure of the war was more bitterly opposed than the project of arming the 
slaves. It was denounced at the North, and the Confederate Congress passed a law 
which threatened with death any white officer captured while in command of negro 
troops, leaving the men to be dealt with according to the laws of the State in which they 
were taken. Yet, so willing were the negroes to enlist, and so faithful did they 
prove themselves in service, that in December, 1863, over fifty thousand had been en 
rolled, and before the close of the war that number was quadrupled. 



256 



UJSriTED STATES IIISTOIIY. 



[18G4. 



regardless of season or weather. While the army of the 
Potomac was crossing the Eapidan (May 4), Grant, seated on 
a log by the road-side, penciled a telegram to Sherman to 
start. 




CROSSING THE RAPIDAN — GRANT S TELEGRAM. 



THE WAR IN TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA. 

Advance upon Atlanta. — Sherman, with one hnndrec] 
thousand men, accordingly moved upon Johnston, who, with 
fifty thousand, was stationed at Dalton, Ga. The Confeder- 
ate commander, foreseeing this advance, had selected a series 
of almost impregnable positions, one behind the other, all the 
way to Atlanta. For one hundred miles there was continued 
skirmishing among mountains and woods, which presented 
every opportunity for such a warfare. Both armies were led 



1864.] EPOCH V. 257 

by profound strategists. Sherman would drive Johnston into 
a stronghoid, and then with consummate skill outflank him, 
when Johnston with equal skill would retreat to a new post 
and prepare to meet his opponent again * At Dalton, Resaca, 
Dallas, and Lost and Kenesaw Mountains bloody battles were 
fought. Finally, Johnston retired to the intrenchments of 
Atlanta (July 10). 

Capture of Atlanta. — Davis, dissatisfied with this Fabian 
policy, now put Hood in command. He attacked the Union 
army three times with tremendous energy, but was repulsed 
with great slaughter. Sherman, thereupon re-enacting his fa- 
vorite flank movement, filled his wagons with fifteen days' ra- 
tions, dexterously shifted his whole army on Hood's line of 
supplies, and thus compelled the evacuation of the city.f 

The Effect. — This campaign during four months of fighting 
and marching, day and night, in its ten pitched battles and 
scores of lesser engagements, cost .the Union army thirty thou- 
sand men, and the Confederate, about forty thousand. Geor- 
gia was the workshop, storehouse, granary and arsenal of the 
Oonfederac3^ At Atlanta, Rome, and neighboring towns were 
manufactories, foundries, and mills, where clothing, wagons, 
harnesses, powder, balls, and cannon were furnished to all its 
armies. The South was henceforth cut off from these supplies. 

Hood's Invasion cf Tennessee. — Shermaif now longed 
to sweep through the Atlantic States. But this was impossible 

* When either party gtopped for a day or two, it fortified it? front with an abattis 
of felled trees and a ditch with a head-log placed on the embankment. The head- 
log was a tree twelve or fifteen inches in diameter resting on small cross-sticks, thus 
leaving a space of four or five inches between the log and the dirt, through which the 
guns could be pointed. 

t During this campaign, Sherman's supplies had all been brought up by a single 
line of railroad from Nashville, a distance of three hundred miles, and exposed 
throughout to the attacks of the enemy. Yet so carefully was it garrisoned and so 
rapidly were bridges built and breaks repaired, that the damages Avere often mended 
before the news of the accident had reached camp. Sherman said that the whistle of 
the locomotive was frequently heard on the camp-ground before the echoes of the 
skirmish fire had died away. 



258 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1864 

as long as Hood, with an army of forty tliousand, was in 
front, while the cavalry under Forrest was raiding along his 
railroad communications toward Chattanooga and Nashville. 
With unconcealed joy, therefore, Sherman learned that Hood 
was to invade Tennessee.* Eelieved of this anxiety, he at once 
prepared his army for its celebrated " March to the Sea." 

Battle of Nashville (December 15, 16). — Hood crossed 
the Tennessee, and after severe fighting, driving Schofield's 
army before him, shut up General Thomas mthin the fortifi- 
cations at JSTashville. For two weeks little was done.f When 
Thomas was fully ready, he suddenly sallied out on Hood, 
and in a terrible two days' battle drove the Confederate forces 
out of their intrenchments into headlong flight. The Union 
cavalry thundered upon their heels with remorseless energy. 
The infantry followed closely behind. The entire Confederate 
army, except the rear-guard, which fought bravely to the last, 
was dissolved into a rabble of demoralized fugitives, which at 
last escaped across the Tennessee.^ 

Tlie Effect. — For the first time in the war an army was de- 
stroyed. The object which Sherman hoped to obtain when he 
moved on Atlanta was accomplished by Thomas, three hun- 
dred miles away. Sherman could now go where he pleased 
with little danger of meeting a foe. The war at the West, so 
far as any great movements were concerned, was finished. 



* Hood's expectation was that Sherman would follow him into Tennessee, and 
thus Georgia be saved from invasion. Sherman had no such idea. " If Hood will go 
there," said he, "I will give him rations to go with." Now was presented the sin- 
gular spectacle of these two armies, which had been so lately engaged in deadly com- 
bat, marching from each other as fast as they could go. 

f Great disappointment was felt at the North over the retreat to Nashville, and still 
more at Tliomas's delay in that city. Grant ordered him to move, and had actually 
started to take charge of his troops in person, when he learned of the splendid vic- 
tory his slow but sure general had- achieved. 

% The weather was cold and rainy, the roads were trampled into almost bottomless 
mud, the creeks swollen to torrents, and the Confederates had burned the bridges in 
their retreat. 



1864.] EPOCH V. 259 

Sherman's March to the Sea. — Breaking loose from his 
communications with Nashville, and burning the city of At- 
lanta, Sherman started (November 16) with sixty thousand 
men. The army moved in four columns, with a cloud of cav- 
alry under Kilpatrick,* and skirmishers in front to disguise 
its route.f The wings destroyed the Georgia Central and 
Augusta Eailroads, and the troops foraged on the country 
as they passed. In five weeks they had marched three hundred 
miles, reached the sea,J: stormed Fort McAllister, and captured 
Savannah.§ 

The Effect of .this march can hardly be over-estimated. A 
fertile region, sixty miles wide and three hundi^ed long, was 
desolated ; three hundred miles of railroad were destroyed ; 
the eastern portion of the already sundered Confederacy was 
again cut in twain ; immense supplies of provisions were cap- 
tured, and the hardships of war brought home to those who 
had heretofore been exempt from its actual contact. 

* The ubiquity of the cavalry movements of the war is remarliable. In the Feb- 
ruary preceding, Kilpatrick, who now opened up the way for Sherman's march 
through Georgia, made a dash with the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac 
to rescue the Union prisoners at Richmond. He got within the defences of the 
city, but not fully appreciating his success, withdrew, while Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, 
who headed a co-operating force, through the ignorance or treachery of his guide, lost 
his route, was surrounded by the enemy, and fell in an attempt to cut his way out. 
Great damage was done to railroads and canals near Richmond. These various raids 
had little effect, however, upon Ihe issue of the contest, though they served to pro- 
voke the bitter enmity of both sides. 

t A feint which Sherman made toward Augusta led to a concentration at that city 
of all the cavalry and militia called out to dispute his progress. The real direction 
of his march was not discovered until he had entered the peninsula between the Sa- 
vannah and Ogeechee rivers, 

X The first news received at the North from Sherman was brought by three scouts, 
who left the Union army just as it was closing in on Savannah. They hid in the rice 
swamps by day and paddled down the river by night. Creeping past Fort McAllister 
undiscovered, they were picked up by the Federal gunboats. 

§ Sherman sent the news of its capture with twenty-five thousand bales of cotton 
and one hundred and fifty cannon, to President Lincoln, as a Christmas' present to the 
pation. 



2G0 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1864. 



THE WAR IN VIRGINIA. 

Battle of the Wilderness (May 5, 6). — On crossing 
the Rapidan, the Union army plunged into the Wilderness. 
While their columns were toihng along the narrow roads, they 
were suddenly attacked by the Confederate army.* The 
dense forest forbade all strategy. There Avas none of the 
pomp or glory of war, only its horrible butchery. The ranks 
simply dashed into the woods. Soon came the patter of 
shots, the heavy rattle of musketry, and then there streamed 
back the wreck of the battle — bleeding, mangled forms, borne 
on stretchers. In those gloomy shades, dense with smoke, 
this etrangest of battles, which no eye could follow, marked 
only by the shouts and volleys, now advancing, now receding, 
as either side gained or lost, surged to and fro. The third 
day, both armies, worn out by this desperate struggle, re- 
mained in their intrenchments. Neither side had been con- 
quered. Grant had lost twenty thousand men, and Lee ten 
thousand. It Vv'as generally supposed that the Federals 
would retire back of the Eapidan. Grant thought differently. 
He quietly gathered up his army and pushed it by the Con- 
federate right flank toward Spottsylvania Court House. 

Battle of Spottsylvania (May 8-12). — Lee detected the 
movement, and hurried a division to head off the Union 
advance. When Grant reached the spot, he found the Con- 
federate army planted right across the road, barring his prog- 
ress. Five days of continuous manoeuvringf and fighting,]; 

* Thip w.as near the oM battle-ground of Chancellorsville, and jiTSt a year and two 
days after that fiprce fight. 

t During this time the pharpphooters on hoth sides, hidden in the trees, were busy 
picking off officers. On the 9th, General Sedgwick was superintending the placing 
of a battery in the front. Seeing a man dodging a ball, he rebuked him, saying, 
" Pooh ! they can't hit an elephant at this distance." At that moment he was himself 
strack, and fell dead. 

t On the morning of the l'?th, Hancock's corps, hidden by a dense fog, charged 
upon the Confederate line, broke the abattis, surrounded a division, and took three 



1864.] 



EPOCH V. 



261 



having given little advantage, Grant concluded to try the fa- 
vorite movement of the year, and turn Lee's right flank again* 

Battle of Cold Harbor 
(June 3). — Lee, however, 
moving on the inner and 
shorter line, reached the 
North Anna first. Here 
some severe fighting oc- 
cuiTed, when. Grant mov- 
ing to flank again, Lee 
slipped into the intrench- 
ments of Cold Harbor. At 
daybreak a general assault 
was made. " Twenty 
minutes after the first shot 
was fired, fully ten thousand 
Union men were stretched 
writhing on the sod or still 
and calm in death, while the 
enemy's loss was little over 
one thousand." The army, 
weary of this useless slaugh- 
ter, refused to continue the 
attack.f 




GRANT S CAMPAIGN AROUND RICHMOND. 



thousand prisoners, including two generals. So complete was the surprise, that the 
oflScers were captured at breakfast. Lee, however, rallied, and the fighting was so 
fierce to regain this lost position, that it is said "a tree eighteen inches in diame- 
ter was cut in two by the bullets which struck it." Ten thousand men fell on each 
side. "Men in hundreds, killed and wounded together, were piled in hideous heaps 
—some bodies, which had lain for hours under the concentric fire of the battle, being 
perforated with wounds. The writhing of wounded beneath the dead moved these 
masses at times ; while often a lifted arm or a quivering limb told of an agony not 
quenched by the Lethe of death around." 

* It was during this terrible battle that Grant, determined to accmrT^lish his plan 
at whatever cost, sent his famous despatch, "T propose to fight it out on this line if 
it takes all summer." It took all summer, and winter too. 

t Grant had arranged, in the general plan of the campaign, for three co-operative 



2G2 UliflTED STATES HISTORY. [1864 

Attack on Petersburg. — Grant now rapidly pushed his 
army over the James, and fell upon Petersburg; but here 
again Lee was ahead, and the works could not be forced. 
Grant was therefore compelled to th^jow up intrenchments 
and sit down in front of the Confederate lines. The cam- 
paign now resolved itself into a siege of Kichmond, with 
Petersburg as its advanced post. 

The Effect. — The campaign had cost the Union army at 
least seventy thousand men, and the Confederate about forty 
thousand. The weakened capabilities ol the South were now 
fairly pitted against the almost exhaustless resources of the 
North. Grant's plan Avas to keep constantly hammering 
Lee's army, conscious that it Avas the last hope of the Con- 
federacy. The idea of thus annihilating an army was ter- 
rible, yet it seemed the only Avay of closing the aAvful 
struggle. 

The Siege of Richmond continued until the spring 
campaign of 1865, It was marked by tAVo important events: 

1. Mine Explosion (July 30). — From a hidden ravine 
in front of Petersburg, a mine had been dug underneath 

movements to attract the attention and divide the strength of the Confederate army 
before Richmond: 1. General Sigel, with ten thousand men, was to advance up the 
Shenandoah Valley and threaten the railroad communication with Richmond. He 
was, however, totally routed at New Market (May 15). General Hunter, who super- 
seded him, defeated the Confederates at Piedmont (June 5), but pus^hing on to Lynch- 
burg with about twenty thousand men, he found it too strong, and prudently retired 
into quiet repose in West Virginia. 2. On the night that the Army of the Potomac 
crossed the Rapidan, General Butler, with thirty thousand men, ascended the James 
River, under the protection of gunboats, and landed at Bermuda Hundred. After 
some trifling successes, he was surprised in a dense fog by Beauregard, who had 
come up from the Carolinas with reinforcements, and was driven back into his 
defences with very considerable loss, Beauregard drew intrenchments across 
the narrow strip which connected Bermuda Hundred with the main land, and, as 
Grant tersely said, " hermetically sealed up" the Union force from any further ad- 
vance. Thus ended both these movements from which much was expected. Butler's 
force was partly withdrawn, and reached Grant just before the Cold Harbor fight. 
3. General Sheridan, while the army was at Spottsylvania, passed in the rear of the 
Confederate position ; destroyed miles of railroad ; recaptured four hundred prisoners 
en route ; defeated a cavalry force with the loss of their leader. General J. E. B. Stuart, 
the best cavalry officer in the South ; captured the outer defences of Richmond, and 
then returned to the Union army in time to take part in the battle at Cold Harbor. 



1864] EPOCH V. 263 

a strong Confederate fort. Just at dawn, the blast of 
eight thousand pounds of powder was fii'ed. Huge masses 
of earth, cannon, and the garrison of three hundred 
men, rose into the air, and then fell a promiscuous ruin. 
The artillery opened along the line, and an assaulting col- 
umn rushed forward. But it stopped in the crater produced 
.by the explosion. The Confederates, rallying from the con- 
fusion, began to rain shell and ball upon the seething mass 
within the demolished fort. To retreat was only less dan- 
gerous than to stay; yet thousands jumped out of this 
filaughter-pen and ran headlong back to the Union line. 
About four thousand were lost in this ill-starred affair. 

2. Attack upon the Weldon Railroad (August 18). — By 
threatening Eichmond upon the north. Grant induced Lee 
to move troops to that city from Petersburg. The opportu- 
nity was at once seized, and the Weldon Railroad captured. 
Lee, aware of the great importance of that means of commu- 
nication with the South, for several days made most desperate 
attempts for its recovery. They were, however, unsuccessful, 
and the Union lines were permanently advanced to this 
point.* 

Early's Raid. — Huntei*'s retreat (p. 262) ha^^ng laid open 
the Shenandoah Valley, Lee took advantage of it to threaten 
Washington, hoping thus to draw off G-rant from the siege 
of Richmond. General Early, with twenty thousand men, 
accordingly hurried along this oft-traveled route. Defeating 
General Wallace at Monocacy River, he appeared before Fort 
Stevens, one of the defences of Washington (July 10). Had 
he rushed by forced marches, he might have captured the 



* An attempt was made by Grant when he first swung south of Richmond, but \i 
was signally repulsed, with a loss of nearly four thousand men. That this event was 
not mentioned in the military report, and has not received a specific name, shows the 
enormous proportions the war had now assumed, and how changed it was from the 
time when Big Bethel and Ball's Bluff were esteemed great battles. 



264 



UJS^ITED STATES HISTORY, 



[18C4 



city ; but he stopped a day. Eeinforcements having now ar- 
rived, he was forced to retreat, and, laden with booty, he rap- 
idly recrossed the Potomac. Not being pursued, he returned, 
and sent a party of cavalrj^ into Pennsylvania. They entered 
Chambersburg, and, on faihng to obtain a ransom of $500,000 
in gold, burned the village, and escaped safely back into the 
Shenandoah. 

Sheridan's Campaign. — Sheridan was now put in com- 
mand of all the troops in this region. He defeated Early at 
Winchester and Fisher's Hill, and in a week destroyed half 




SHERIDAN S ARRIVAL AT CE 



his army, and sent the rest "whirling up the valley of the 
Shenandoah." * Early was quickly reinforced, and return- 
ing during Sheridan's absence, surprised his army at Cedar 
Creek (October 19), and droA^e it in confusion. Sheridan 
arrived at this critical moment, f ordered an immediate ad- 

* In order to prevent any further raids upon Washington from this direction, he 
devastated the valley so thoroughly that .t was paid that, " If a crow wants to fly 
down the Shenandoah, he must carry his provisions with him." 

t Early's attack was made under cover of a dense fog and the darkness of the early 
morning. The troops were driven four miles. General Wright, the Union com- 



1864.] EPOCH V. 265 

vance, and attacking the Confederates, now busy plundering 
the captured camp, routed them with tremendous slaughter. 

TJic Effect. — This campaign, of only a month, was one 
of the most brilliant of the war. Sheridan lost seventeen 
thousand men, but he had virtually destroyed Early's army. 
This was the last attempt to threaten Washington. 

Red River Expedition.* — A joint naval and land expe- 
dition, under the command of General Banks, was sent up 
the Eed River in the hope of destroying the Confederate 
authority in that region and in Texas. Fort de Russy was 
taken (March 14), whence Banks moved on toward Shreve- 
port. The line of march became extended a distance of 
nearly thirty miles along a single road. At Sabine Cross 
Roads (April 8) the Confederate forces, under General Dick 
Taylor, attacked the advance, and a miniature Bull Run 
retreat ensued. The Union troops, however, rallied at Pleas- 
ant Hill, and the next day, reinforcements coming up from 
the rear, they were able to repulse the Confederates. The 
army thereupon returned to New Orleans, f and Banks was 
relieved of the command. 

mander, though wonnded, still remained on the field, and managed to get his troops 
into a new position in the rear. Sheridan heard the cannonading thirteen miles 
away, at Winchester. Knowing the importance of his presence, he put spurs to his 
coal-black steed, and never drew rein until, his horse covered with foam, he dashed 
upon the battle-field. Riding down the lines, he shouted, " Turn, boys, turn ; we're 
going back." Under the magnetism of his presence, the fugitives rallied, and fol- 
lowed him to the fight and victory. 

* Troops having been sent from Vicksburg to join the Red River expedition. 
West Tennessee and Kentucky were left exposed to attack from the Confederates. 
Forrest, with five thousand men, captured Union City, Tenn., with its garrison of 
about five hundred troops, occupied Hickman, and advanced rapidly upon Paducah, 
Ky. This, protected by the gunboats, maintained so stout a defence, that For- 
rest retired. Moving south, he next fell upon Fort Pillow (April 12). His men 
crept along under shelter of a ravine until very near, and then charged upon the 
intrenchments. Rushing into the fort, they raised the cry "No quarter!" "The 
Confederate officers," says Pollard, " lost control of their men, who were maddened 
by the sight of negro troops opposing them." An indiscriminate slaughter followed. 
Neither age, sex, nor color was spared. Confederate and Union accounts of this 
event agree in the narration of these events. 

t Porter, who commanded the gunboats In the Red River, hearing of Banks's 

12 



266 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1864. 

The Effect. — This campaign was a great Confederate tri- 
umpli.* Banks lost five thousand men, eighteen guns, and 
large supplies. 



THE WAR ON THE SEA AND ON THE COAST. 

The Expedition against Mobile (August 5) was under 
the command of Admiral Farragut. That he might oversee 
the battle more distinctly, he took his position in the main- 
top of his flag-ship — the Hartford. The vessels, lashed to- 
gether in pairs for mutual assistance, in an hour fought their 
way past the Confederate forts, and engaged the iron-clad 
fleet beyond. After a desperate resistance, the great iron ram 
Tennessee was taken, and the other vessels either captured or 
put to flight. The forts were soon after reduced, and the 
harbor closed against blockade runners. f 

The Expedition against Fort Fisher, which defended 
the harbor of Wilmington, N. C, was commanded by Commo- 



retreat, attempted to return with his fleet, but the river fell so rapidly that this be« 
came impossible. It was feared that it would be necessary to blow up the vessels to 
prevent their falling into the enemy's hands, when, by the happy suggestion of 
Colonel Bailey, formerly a Wisconsin lumberman, they were saved. He constructed 
a series of wing-dams below the rapids, and when the water rose, the boats were 
safely floated over. This skilful expedient was almost the only relieving feature of 
the campaign, which was believed by some to have been undertaken simply as a 
gigantic cotton speculation, in behalf of certain parties, who seemed to be more intent 
on gathering that staple than on conserving the interests of the Union cause. The 
failure was, therefore, at the North a source of great mortification and reproach. 

* General Steele, who commanded in Arkansas, had moved from Little Rock to co- 
operate in this advar.ce, but on nearing Shreveport, learned of Banks's retreat. He 
immediately turned around, and with great difliculty and severe fighting, managed to 
escape back to Little Rock. This disaster enabled the Confederates to recover 
half of the State. 

t The City of Mobile was not captured until the next year, when Generals Gran- 
ger's, Steele's and A. J. Smith's commands, making a force of about forty-five thous- 
and men, were collected by General Canby for this purpose. The forts were gallantly 
defended by General Maury, but were taken within less than two weeks. The city 
itself was evacuated April 11. The Union troops entered the next day, ignorant 
that Lee had surrendered three days before, and that the Confederacy was dead. 



1864.] EPOCH V. 267 

dore Porter. It consisted of seventy vessels and a land force 
under General Butler.* After a fierce bombardment (Decem- 
ber 24, 25) Butler decided that the fort could not be taken by 
assault, and the army returned to Fortress Monroe. Commo- 
dore Porter, dissatisfied with the result, lay ofi" the place, and 
asked for a second trial. The same troops, with fifteen hun- 
dred additional men, w^re sent back under General Terry. 
Protected by a terrible fire from the fleet, a column of sailors, 
and one of soldiers, worked their way, by a series of trenches, 
within two hundred yards of the fort. At the word, the 
former leaped forward on one side and the latter on another. 
The sailors were repulsed, but the soldiers burst into the fort. 
The hand-to-hand fight within lasted for hours. Late at 
night, the garrison, hemmed in on all sides, surrendered (Jan- 
uaiy 15, 1865). One knows not which to admire the more, 
the gallantry of the attack or the heroism of the defence. 
In such a victory is glory, and in such a defeat, no disgrace. 

The Blockade was now so effectual that the prices of all 
imported goods in the Confederate States were fabulous. Led 
by the enormous profitsf of a successful voyage, foreign mer- 
chants were constantly seeking to run the gauntlet. Their 
swift steamers, making no smoke, long, narrow, low, and of a 



* " It was intended by General Grant that General Weitzel should command them. 
But General Butler, through whom, as the superior officer, the instructions to 
Weitzel were given, put the instructions in his pocket, and went himself. General 
Grant did not dream that Butler would take command, and thought that he went 
merely to see the explosion of a boat laden with powder, which he had prepared at 
great expense and delay, as if fancying that the mud walls of Fort Fisher would fall 
at the noise, as the walls of Jericho did at the sound of Gideon's trumpets. On the 
morning of the 24th the powder-boat was exploded with so little effect, that the Con- 
federates did not know the object of it until they were informed by the Northern 
newspapers."— J/r*. Willard. 

t The prices obtained in Confederate currency were extravagant. Coffee was sold 
at .$50 and salt at $1 per pound ; ordinary calico brought from $30 to $35 per yard ; 
Balmoral boots for ladies were $250 a pair, and French gloves from $125 to $175 ; 
Irish linen ranged from $50 to $100 per yard, etc. Dried sage, willow, and currant 
leaves were substituted for tea. A writer from there as early as November, 1862, 
said : " Pins are now so rare that we pick them up with avidity in the streets." 



268 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1864. 

mud color, occasionally escaped the vigilance of the Federal 
squadron. During the war, it is said, over fifteen hundred 
blockade runners were taken or destroyed. With the capture 
of Fort Fisher, the last Confederate port of entry was sealed. 
Confederate Cruisers had now practically driven the. 
American commerce from the ocean. They were not privateers, 
like those named on p. 222, for they were built in England and 
manned by British sailors, and were only officered and commis- 
sioned by the Con- 
federate government. 
They sailed to and 
fro upon the track of 
American ships, plun- 
dering and burning, 
or else bonding them 
for heavy sums. The 
THc ALABAMA ^ lohama was the most 

noted of these British steamers. Against the urgent remon- 
strances of the United States Minister at the Court of 
England, she was allowed to sail although her mission was 
well known. An Enghsh captain took her to the Azores, 
where other English vessels brought her arms, ammunition, 
and the Confederate Captain Semmes with additional crew. 
Putting out to aea, he read his commission and announced 
his purpose. After capturing over sixty vessels, he sailed to 
Cherbourg, France. While there, he sent out a challenge to 
the national ship-of-war Kearsarge (keer'-sarj). This was ac- 
cepted, and a battle took place off that harbor. Captain Win- 
sloAv, of the Kearsarge, so manoeuvered that the Alabama was 
compelled to move round in a circular track, while he trained 
his guns upon her with fearful effect. On the seventh rota- 
tion, the Confederate vessel ran up the white flag and soon 
after sank. Captain Winslow rescued a part of the sinking 




1864.] EPOCH V. 269 

crew, and, at his request, the rest were picked up hy the Deer- 
hound, an Enghsh yacht. The latter, however, steamed off to 
the British coast with those she had saved, among whom 
was Captain Semmes. 

The Sanitary and Christian Commissions were 
*• splendid examples of organized mercy," furnished by the 
})eople of the North. They devised and provided every possi- 
ble comfort for the sick and wounded, besides distributing re- 
ligious reading to every soldier in the field. Ambulances, 
stretchers, hot coffee, postage-stamps, paper and envelo2:)es, 
prayer-meetings, medicines. Christian burial — no want of body 
or soul was overlooked. " Homes" and " Lodges" for men on 
sick leave ; for those not yet under or just out of the care of 
the government, or who had been left by their regiments, were 
instituted. "Feeding Stations" for the tired and hungry were 
estabhshed, and even "Homes for the Wives, Mothers, and 
Children of Soldiers" who had come to visit their sick or 
wounded. On every flag-of-truce boat were placed clothing, 
medicines, and cordials to meet prisoners who had been ex- 
changed. With boundless mercy they cared for all while liv- 
hig, and gave Christian burial and marked graves to the dead. 
Over seventeen millions of dollars in money and supplies were 
expended by these two Commissions. 

Political Affairs. — At the North, there was much dissatis- 
faction with the conduct of the war. The debt had become 
about $2,000,000,000. In July of this year, paper money 
reached its greatest depreciation, and it required two dollars 
and ninety cents in greenbacks to buy one dollar in gold. It 
was at the time of Grant's repulse from Cold Harbor and of Ear- 
ly's raid. Yet, in the midst of these discouragements, Abraham 
Lincoln was renominated by the republican party. George B. 
McClellan was the democratic candidate. He stood firmly 
for the prosecution of the war, and the maintenance of the 



270 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1864. 

Union, but was not in full sympathy with the policy of the 
administration. He carried onfy three States. Lincoln had a 
popular majority of over four hundred thousand. 

General Review of the Fourth Year of the "War. — 
The Confederates had gained the battles of Olustee,* Sabine 
Cross Eoads, the Wilderness, Bermuda Hundred, Spottsylva- 
nia, New Market, Cold Harbor, and Monocacy ; had defeated 
the expeditions into Florida and the Eed Eiver country, the 
two attacks upon Petersburg, and one against Fort Fisher, and 
yet held Grant at bay before Richmond. They had, however, 
lost ground on every side. Of the States east of the Mississippi, 
only North and South Carolina were fully retained. Missis- 
sippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Florida 
were overrun by the Union armies. The Federals had gained 
the battles of Pleasant Hill, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw, At- 
lanta, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek and Nashville. 
They had captured Fort de Russy, the forts in Mobile harbor, 
and Fort McAllister, and had taken Atlanta and Savannah. 
Sherman had swept across Georgia ; Sheridan had devastated 
the Shenandoah, driving its defenders before him ; Thomas 
had annihilated Hood's army ; Grant held Lee firmly grasped 
at Richmond, and the navy swept the entire coast. 



1865. 

The Situation. — The plan of the campaign was very sim- 
ple. The end of the war was clearly at hand. Sherman was 
to move north from Savannah against Johnston, and then join 



* This battle ended an expedition fitted out by General Gillmore, at Hilton Head 
S. C, to recover Florida. After some euccess his troops, under General Seymour, 
advanced to Olustee, where (February 20) they met a disastrous defeat and were 
forced to relinquish much they had gained. The men were afterward taken to Vir- 
ginia to engage in more important work. 



1865.] 



EPOCH V. 



271 



Grant in the final attack upon Lee. Sheridan, with ten thou- 
sand troopers, had swept down from the Shenandoah, cut the 
raih'oads north of Kichmond, and taken his place in the Union 
hues before Petersburg. Wilson, with thirteen thousand horse- 
men, rode at large through Alabama and Georgia, and at Ma- 
con held a line of retreat from Virginia westward. Stoneman, 
with five thousand cavalry from Tennessee, poured through 
the passes of the Alleghanies and waited in North Carolina for 
the issue in Virginia. 







SHERMAN S MARCH. 



s^- 



Sherman's March through the Carolinas. — In the 

meantime Sherman had given his troops only a month's rest 
in Savannah. Early in February, they were put in motion 
northward. There was no waiting for roads to dry nor for 
bridges to be built, but the troops swept on like a tornado. 



272 UNITED STATES HISTOEY. [18G5. 

Elvers Avere waded, and one battle was fought while the water 
was up to the shoulders of the men. The army, sixty thousand 
strong, moved in four columns, with a front of more than fifty 
miles. Cavalry and foragers swarmed on the flanks. Before 
them was terror ; behind them were ashes. 

Columbia* was captured (February 17), and Charleston,! 
thus threatened in the rear, was evacuated the next day. In 
this emergency, Johnston was again called to the command of 
the Confederate forces. He gathered their scattered armies 
and vigorously opposed Sherman's advance. After fierce en- 
gagements at Averysboro and Bentonville (March 15, 18), 
he was driven back, and Kaleigh was captured (April 13). 

Siege of Richmond. — Lee's position was fast becoming 
desperate. His only hope lay in getting out of Eichmond and 
joining with Johnston. Their united armies might prolong 
the struggle. Grant was determined to prevent this, and com- 
pel Lee to suiTender, as Pemberton had done. 

Attack on Fort Steadman (March 25). — Lee determined 
to attack Grant's right, in order to hide his plan of retreat, 
and especially in the hope that Grant would send troops from 
the left to succor the threatened point. In that case, he would 
slip out, with the main body of his army, by the nearest road 

* The cotton stored in the city was scattered through the streets and fired by the 
Confederate authorities. The flames quickly spread to the houses adjoining. Sher- 
man tried to subdue the conflagration, but was unsuccessful. A large portion of the 
city was destroyed. 

+ General Hardee, on leaving, inflicted a terrible injury. He set fire to every shed 
and warehouse where cotton was stored. The flames spread to a quantity of powder 
in the depot, which exploded with fearful destruction. Two hundred lives were 
lost. In spite of the efforts of the Union troops, a vast amount of private property 
was involved in the general devastation . The ravages which the war had made were 
well illustrated by the appearance of this city after its evacuation. An eye-witness 
says: "No pen, no pencil, no tongue can do justice to the scene; no imagination 
can conceive the utter wreck, the universal ruin, the stupendous desolation. Ruin, 
ruin, ruin, above and below, on the right hand and on the left— ruin, ruin, ruin, 
everywhere and always, staring at us from every paneless window, lookin<r out at ua 
from every shell-torn wall, glaring at us from every battered door, pillar, and ve- 
randa, crouching beneath our feet on every sidewalk. Not Pompeii, nor Hercula- 
neum, nor Tadmor, nor the Nile has ruins so saddening, so plaintively eloquent." 



1865.1 EPOCH V. 273 

southward, which ran close by the Union left. The assault 
was made on Fort Steadman. It was a signal failure. Three 
thousand out of five thousand engaged in the attempt were 
lost. To make matters worse, a Union assault followed 
directly afterward, and a portion of the Confederate outer de- 
fences were captured. Thus Grant's grip was only tightened. 
Grant had made no change in the position of his troops, and 
this sortie had neither hastened nor delayed the grand, final 
attack. 

Battle of Five Forks (April 1). — This movement began 
Wednesday morning, March 29. Sheridan with his cavalry — 
nine thousand sabres — and heavy columns of infantry, pushed 
out from Grant's left wing to get around in Lee's rear. Cloaking 
his plan by a thick screen of cavalry, to conceal the move- 
ments of his infantry, he threw a heavy force behind the Con- 
federate position at Five Forks.* Assailed in front and rear, 
the garrison was overwhelmed, and five thousand were taken 
prisoners. 

The Effect of this brilHant affair was at once to render 
Lee's position untenable. His right was turned, and his rear 
threatened. 

Capture of Petersburg and Richmond (April 2, 3). — 
The next morning, at four o'clock, the Union army advanced 
in an overwhelming assault along the whole front. By 
noon, the Confederate line of intrenchments before which the 
Army of the Potomac had lain so long was broken, and thou- 
sands of prisoners were captured, f That night Petersburg 
and Richmond were evacuated. The next morning the Union 

* Five Forks is situated twelve miles southwest from Petersburg. 

+ Generals Lee and A. P. Hill were at the former's headquarters, within the city, 
discussing the prospects of the day. Suddenly General Lee, listening, said to Hill, 
'* General, your men are giving way." Instantly Hill was mounted and dashing 
down the road. As he was spurring his steed, he caught a glimpse of two or three 
blue coats, with rifles levelled at him. " Throw down your arms 1" he authoritatively 
cried. For an instant the men hesitated, but the next moment the clang of their 
pieces was heard, and General Hill fell dead. 



274 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1865. 

troops took possession of the Confederate capital,* the coveted 
goal of the Army of the Potomac for four long bloody years. 

Lee's Surrender. — Lee, with forty thousand men, the 
wreck of that proud array with which he had dealt the Union 
army so many crushing blows, hurried west, seeking some 
avenue of escape. Grant urged the pursuit with untiring 
energy. Sheridan, "with a tei-rible daring which knew no 
pause, no rest," hung on his flanks. The Confederates had only 
the young shoots of trees to eat. Men were deserting by hun- 
dreds. K they sought a moment's repose, they were awakened 
by the clatter of pursuing cavalry. Lee, hke a hunted fox, 
turned hither and thither ; but at last Sheridan planted him- 
self squarely across the front. Lee ordered a charge. The 
half- starved troops, with a rallying of their old courage, 
obeyed. But the cavalry moving aside, as a curtain is drawn, 
revealed dense bodies of infantry in battle hue. The Civil 
War was about to end in one of its bloodiest tragedies, when 
the Confederate advance was stopped. General Grant had 
already sent in a note demanding the surrender of the army. 

* SuBday, the day before, the Confederate President, Davis, was at chnrch, when a 
note was handed him by a messenger. It was from Lee, informing him that the Con- 
federate army was about to leave Richmond. His pallid face and unsteady footsteps, 
as he passed out, betrayed the news. Pollard says: "Men, women, and children 
rushed from the churches, passing from lip to lip news of the impending lall of Rich- 
mond. ... It was late in the afternoon when the signs of evacuation became 
apparent to the incredulous. Suddenly, as if by magic, the streets became filled with 
men, walking as though for a wager, and behind them excited negroes with trunks, 
bundles, and luggage of every description. All over the city, it was the same — 
wagons, trunks, bandboxes, and their owners, a mass of hurrying fugitives filling the 
streets. Night came, and with it confusion worse confounded. There was no sleep 
for human eyes in Richmond that night. About the hour of midnight, hundreds of 
barrels of liquor were rolled into the street, and the heads knocked in, by order of the 
City Council, to prevent a worse disorder. As the work progressed, some straggling 
soldiers managed to get hold of a quantity of the liquor. From that moment law and 
order ceased to exist." By order of General Ewell, the four principal tobacco ware- 
houses, in diflerent parts of the city, were fired, and soon the flames became unman- 
ageable. " Morning broke upon a scene such as those who witnessed it can never 
forget. The roar of an immense conflagration sounded in their ears ; tongues of 
flame leaped from street to street; and in this baleful glare were to be seen, as of 
demons, the figures of busy plunderers, moving, pushing, rioting through the black 
smoke, bearing away every conceivable sort of plunder." 



1865.] EPOCH V. 275 

Lee now accepted the generous terms* proposed. Near Appo- 
mattox Court House, April 9, the remains of the Army of 
Virginia laid down their arms and turned homeward, no longer 
Confederate soldiers, but American citizens. 

The Effect — This closed the war. The other Confederate 
armies — Johnston's, Dick Taylor's, and Kirby Smith's — 
promptly surrendered, f Jefferson Davis fled southward, 
hoping to escape, but was overtaken near Irwinsville, Georgia 
(May 11), and sent a prisoner to Fortress Monroe.| 

Cost of the War.— ^In the Union armies probably three 
hundred thousand men were killed in battle or died of 
wounds or disease, while doubtless two hundred thousand 
more were crippled for life. If the Confederate armies suf- 
fered as heavily, the country thus lost one million able- 
bodied men. The Union debt, Jan. 1, 1866, was nearly 
$2,750,000,000. At one time, the daily expenses reached the 
sum of $3,500,000. During the last year of the war, the ex- 
penses were greater than the entire expenditures of the gov- 
ernment from Washington to Buchanan. The Confederate 
war debts were never paid, as that government was over- 
thrown. 

Assassination of Lincoln. — In the midst of the uni- 
versal rejoicings over the advent of peace, on the evening of 
April 14 the intelligence was flashed over the country that 



* The oflacers and men were allowed to go home on their paroles not to take up 
arms against the United States until exchanged, and the former to retain their pri- 
vate haggage and horses. After the surrender had been concluded, General Lee said 
that he had forgotten to mention that many of his soldiers rode their own horses. 
Grant at once replied that such should keep their horses to aid them in their future 
work at home. 

+ The last fight of the war happened near Brazos Santiago, Texas, May 13. A small 
expedition sent out to surprise a Confederate camp, was overtaken on its return by 
a larger force and defeated with a loss of eighty men. 

X He was kept here until the bitter feelings at the North had been somewhat soft- 
ened by time, when he was set at liberty, "a monument of the clemency of th€ 
Republic." 



276 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[186a 



Lincoln had been assassinated.* He was shot while seated, 
in company with his wife and friends, in his box at Ford's 
Theatre, by John Wilkes Booth,t who insanely imagined he 




ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

was ridding his country of a tyrant. About the unconscious 
body of the President gathered the most prominent men of 
the nation, who mourned and watched, waiting in vain for 

* A nearly fatal attempt was also made at the same time upon William H. Seward; 
Secretary of State, who was lying sick in his bed at home. 

t Booth stealthily entered the box, fastened the door, that he might not be fol- 
lowed, shot the President, then waving his pistol, shouted, " Sic Semper Tyrannis" 
(SO be it to tyrants), and leaped to the stage in front. As he jumped, the American 
f-ag draped before the box— mute avenger of the nation's chief— caught his spur, 
and, throwing him heavily, broke his leg. The assassin, however, escaped from the 
house in the confusion, mounted a horse which was waiting for him, and fled into 
Maryland. He was at length overtaken in a bam, where he stood at bay. The build- 
ing was fired to drive him out, but, still determined to defend himself against arrest, 
he was, at last, shot by one of the soldiers. The accomplices of Booth were arrested, 
tried and convicted. Harrold, Payne, Atzerott and Mrs. Surratt were hung ; Arnold, 
Sludd and McLaughlin imprisoned for life, and Spangler was sentenced for six years. 



1865.] EPOCH V. 277 

some sign, until the next morning, when he died. The 
funeral was held on the 19th. It was a day of mourning 
throughout the land. In all the cities and in most of the 
smaller towns funeral orations were pronounced. The body 
was borne to Springfield over the same route along which he 
had come as President elect to Washington, The procession 
maybe said to have extended the entire distance. The churches, 
principal buildings, and even the engines and cars were draped 
in black. Almost every citizen wore the badge of mourning. 

States Added during this Epoch. — West Virginia, 
the thirty-fifth State, was admitted to the Union June 20, 
1863. During the Civil War, this portion of Virginia re- 
maining loyal, it was incorporated as a separate State. 

Nevada, the thirty-sixth State, was admitted to the Union 
October 31, 1864. Its name was derived from the range of 
mountains on the east, the Sierra Nevada, a Spanish title, 
signifying " Snow-covered mountains." It was the third State 
carved out of the territory acquired by the Mexican war, Texas 
being the first, and California the second. Its first settlement 
was at Carson City. It is one of the richest mineral States in 
the Union. 



Summary of the History of the JRlfth £Jpoch, arra7iged 
in Chi^onolofficat Order, 

PAGE 

1861. Abraham Lincoln inaugurated President of United States, 

March 4, 315 

Fort Sumter fired upon, April 12, 216 

Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers, April 15, . . . 217 

Confederates seized Harper's Ferry, April 18, . , . 217 

Massachusetts troops fired upon in Baltimore, April 19, . 217 
Confederates seized Norfolk Navy Yard. April 20, . .217 

Battle of Philippi, Va., June 3, 218 

Big Bethel, Va., June 10, 218 

Booneville, Mo., June 17, 221 

Carthage, Mo., July 5, 221 



278 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



July 



7, 



1861. Battle of Rich Mountain, Va., July 11, 

" Carrick's Ford, Va., July 14, 
Confederate Congress assembled at Richmond, Va., 

20, 

Battle of Bull Run, Va., July 21, . . . 

" Wilson's Creek, Mo,, August 10, 
Forts at Hatteras Inlet, N. C, captured, August 29, 
Battle of Carnifex Ferry, Va., September 10, . 

" Lexington, Mo., September 20, . 

« Ball's Bluff, Va., October 21, 
Port Royal, S. C, taken, November 7, 
Battle of Belmont, Mo., November 7, 
Seizure of Mason and Slidell, November 8, 
Skirmish of Dranesville, Va., December 20, 

1862. Battle of Mill Spring, Ky., January 19, . 
Fort Henry, Tenn., taken, February 6, 
Roanoke Island, N. C, taken, February 8, 
Fort Donelson, Term., taken, February 16, 
Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., March 7, 8, 

" of the Monitor and the Merrimac, March 9, 
Newbern, N. C, taken, March 14, . 
Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing), Tenn., April 6, 
Island No. 10 captured, April 7, . 
Fort Pulaski, Ga., captured, April 11, 
New Orleans captured, April 25, 
Beaufort, S. C, captured, April 25, . 
Torktown, Va., taken, May 4, . . 
Battle of Williamsburg, Va., May 5, . 
Norfolk, Va., surrendered. May 10, . 
Corinth, Miss., taken. May 30, . 
Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines, Va., May 31, June 1, 
Lee assumed command of Confederate armies, June 3, . 
Memphis, Tenn., surrendered, June 6, 
Seven Days' battles, June 25-July 1 , 
Battle of Cedar Mountain, Va., August 9, 
Second Battle of BuU Run, Va., August 29, 
Battle of Richmond, Ky., August 30, 

" Chantilly, Va., September 1, 

" South Mountain, Md., September 14, 
Harper's Ferry surrendered, September 15, 
Battle of Antietam, Md., September 17, 

" luka. Miss., September 19, . 

*' Corinth, Miss., October 4, . 

" Perryville, Ky., October 8, . 



EPOCH V. 



279 



1862. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, . 

First attack on Vicksburg, Miss., December 29, 
Battle of Murfreesboro, Temi., December 31, and 
2,1863, 

1863. Emancipation Proclamation, January 1,. 
Arkansas Post taken, January 11, 

Fort Sumter, S. C, bombarded by fleet, April 7, 
Grant's campaign before Vicksburg, May 1-17, 
Battle of Cbancellorsville, Va., May 2, 3, 
West Virginia admitted to Union, June 20. 
Battle of Gettysburg, Penn., July 1-3, 
Vicksburg, Miss., surrendered, July 4, 
Port Hudson surrendered, July 8, 
Draft Riot in New York City, July 13-16, 
Fort Wagner, S. C, taken, September 7, 
Battle of Cliickamauga, Ga., September 19, 20, 
" Chattanooga, Tenn., November 24, 25, 
Siege of Knoxville, Tenn,, raised, December 3, 

1864. Battle of Olustee, Fla., February 20, . 
Grant made Lieu tenant-General, March 3, 
Fort de Russy captured, March 14, . 
Fort Pillow, Tenn., captured, April 12, 
Butler landed at Bermuda Hundred, May 5, 
Battle of Wilderness, Va., May 5, 6, . 

" Spottsylvania, Va., May 8-12, . 
Resaca, Ga., May 14, 15, 

" New Market, Va., May 15, . 

" DaUas, May 25-28, 

" Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, . 

" Lost Mountain, Ga., June 15-17, 
Battle between Kearsarge and Alabama, June 
Battle of Kenesaw Mt., Ga., June 27, 

" Monocacy, Md., July 9, 
Battles before Atlanta, Ga., July 20, 22, 28, 
Chambersburg, Pa., burned, July 30, 
Mine explosion, Petersburg, Va., July 30, 
Farragut entered Mobile Bay, Ala,, August 5, 
Weldon Railroad seized, August 18, . 
Atlanta, Ga., taken, September 2, 
Battle of Winchester, Va., September 19, . 
Fisher's Hill, Va., September 22, 
Cedar Creek, Va,, October 19, . 
Nevada admitted to Union, October 31, 
Fort McAllister, Ga,, taken, December 13, . 



PAGE 

. 242 
. 230 
January 

. 229 
242,244 
. 230 
. 254 
. 244 
. 250 
218, 277 
. 252 



19, 



280 



UNITED STATES HISTOEY 



1864. Battle of Nashville, Tenn., December 15, 16, 

1865. Fort Fisher, N. C, taken, January 15, 
Columbia, S. C, taken, February 17, . 
Charleston, S. C, taken, February 18, 
Battles of Averysboro and Bentonsville, 

15,18, 

Attack on Fort Steadman, Va., March 25, 
Battle of Five Forks, Va., April 1, . 
Peter^urg and Richmond taken, April 2, 
Lee's army surrendered, April 9, 
President Lincoln assassinated, April 14, 
Johnston's army surrendered, April 26, 
Jefferson Davis captured. May 11, 



N. 



C, March 



PAGB 

258 
267 
272 

272 

272 
272 
273 
273 
275 
276 
275 
275 



RECONSTRUCTION AND PASSING EVENTS. 



From 1865— Close of the Civil War, 
To 1871— The Present Date. 




JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION* 

(SEVEJsTEENTH PRESIDENT : 186j-1869.) 

HE death of Lincoln produced no dis- 
order, but the Vice-President, Andrew 
Johnson, quietly, and within three 
hours thereafter, assumed the duties of 
^ the Presidency. 

Disbanding of the Army. — At 

the close of the war the two armies 

numbered a million and a half of sol- 

^■•L - "^^Pj^^irT diers. Within six months they had 

^^^ — ' nearly all returned home. Thus the 

mightiest hosts ever called to the field by a republic went 

back without disturbance to the tranquil pursuits of civil 

* Andrew Johnson was bom in Raleigh, N. C, December 29, 1808. When only ten 
years of age, he was bound apprentice to a tailor of that city. Never having been at 
school a day in his life, he yet determined to secure an education. From a fellow- 
workman he learned the alphabet, and from a friend something of spelling. Thence- 
forth, after working ten to twelve hours per day at his trade, he spent two or three 
every night in study. In 1826, he went West to seek his fortune, with true filial af- 
fection carrying with him his mother, who was dependent on his labor for support. 
After his marriage at Greenville, Tenn., he continued his studies under the instruc- 
tion of his wife, pursuing his trade as before by day. His political life commenced 
with his election as alderman. He was successively chosen mayor, member of legis- 
lature. Presidential elector, State senator, twice governor, and for fifteen years U. S. 
senator. Remaining true to the Union when his State seceded, his loyalty attracted 
general attention. A life-time democrat, he was elected on the republican ticket as 
Vice-President, in reward for his faithfulness. Coming into office with a republican 
Congress, it is not strange that his way was hedged with difficulties, and his Presi- 
dential career a mosi unhappy one. 



282 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1865. 

life. In a few months there was nothing to distinguish the 
soldier from the citizen, except the recollection of his bravery. 
Other nations prophesied that such a vast army could not be 
disbanded peaceably. The republic, by this final triumph of 
law and order, proved itself the most stable government in the 
world.* 

Domestic Affairs. — Reconstruction Policy of the Presi- 
dent. — ^Johnson recognized the State governments that had 
been formed in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana 
during the war, under the protection of the Union army. In 
the other States, he appointed provisional governors, and au- 
thorized the calling of conventions to form loyal governments. 
These conventions accordingly met, repealed the ordinances of 
secession, repudiated the Confederate war debt, and ratified the 
amendment which Congress had offered abolishing slavery. 
On these conditions, Johnson claimed that the States, having 
never been legally out of the Union, should be restored to all 
their rights in the Union. All restrictions on commerce with 
the South had been previously removed (April 29, 1865). A 
month later Johnson issued a proclamation of amnesty and 
pardon to all engaged in secession, except certain classes,! on 
condition of taking the oath of allegiance to the United States. 
In 1868 (July 4) full pardon was granted to all not under in- 
dictment for treason, and afterward this was extended to all 
without exception. 

The Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery, having been 
ratified by the States, was declared (December 18, 1865) duly 
adopted as a part of the Constitution of the United States. 

* A grand review of the armies of Grant and Sherman, two hundred thousand 
Btrong, took place in the presence of the President and his Cabinet. For twelve 
hours this triumphal procession, thirty miles long, massed in solid column twenty 
men deep, rolled through the broad avenues of the Capital. 

+ Many of the persons thus excluded obtained pardons from the President by per- 
sonal application. One complaint against him was the readiness with which he 
granted such pardons. 



1865.] EPOCH VI. 283 

PuUic Debt, — The annual interest on the war debt was now 
over one hundred and thirty miUions of dollars. The revenue 
from duties on imported goods, taxes on manufactures, in- 
comes, etc., and from the sale of revenue stamps, was over 
three hundred milUons of dollars. This provided not alone 
for the current expenses of the government and the payment 
of interest, but also for the gradual extinguishment c^ the 
debt. It is a striking evidence of the abundant resources C 
the country that, in 1866, " before all the extra troops called 
ou^ by the war had been discharged, the debt had been di- 
minished more than thirty-one millions of dollars." 

Reconstruction Policy of Congress. — On the assembling of 
Congress, decided grounds were taken against the policy of the 
President. It was claimed that Congress alone had power to 
'prescribe the conditions for the re-admission of the seceded 
States. His proclamation and orders were treated as of no 
value. The Freedmen's Bureau, the Civil Rights, and the 
Tenure-of-Ofi&ce bills* were passed over the President's veto. 

The Seceded States Admitted. — Tennessee promptly ratified 
the Fourteentii Ainendment and was restored to her former 
position in the Union. The other provisional governments 
refusing to do so^a bill was passed (March 2, 1867) placing 
those States under military rule. The generals in command 
caused a registry of voters to be made, and elections to be held 
for conventions to remodel the State constitutions. After a 
bitter and protracted struggle, governments were established in 
Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North and 
South Carolina, and their representativesf admitted (June 24, 



* The first provided for the establishment of a department of the national govern- 
ment for the care and protection of the freedmen, i. e., the emancipated slaves, and 
also of the destitute whites at the South. The second hill guaranteed to the negroes 
the rights of citizenship. The third made the consent of the Senate necessary to the 
removal by the President of any person from a civil office. 

t As a requisite demanded by Congress for holding office, every candidate waa 



284 ri^^ITED STATES HISTORY. [1868- 

1868) over the President's veto, to Congress, after an unrepre- 
sented period of seven years. 

Impeachment of the President. — The constantly-increasing 
hostihty between the President and Congi-ess came to an issue 
when the former attempted to remove Edwin M. Stanton, 
Secretary of War. This was considered a violation of the 
Tenure-of-Office bill. The impeachment of the President was 
at last ordered (February 24, 1868). After a long and tedious 
trial, he was acquitted, the two-thirds majority necessary for 
conviction lacking one vote. 

The Fourteenth Amendment proposed by Congress, guaran- 
teeing equal civil rights to all, regardless of race or color, and 
basing representation in each State on the number of voters, 
was adopted July 28, 1868. 

The Indian War along the Southwest having increased to 
such dimensions in 1865 and 1866 as to demand active meas- 
ures for its suppression. General Sheridan was ordered thither. 
Black Kettle and a large body of his warriors being surprised 
and slain by a charge of Custer's cavalry (1868) in the battle 
of the Wacheta (wah-che'-tah), hostilities ceased. 

The French in Mexico. — While the United States were ab- 
sorbed in the civil war, Napoleon III., emperor of France, 
took advantage of the opportunity to* secure a foothold in 
America. By the assistance of the French army the imperial- 
ists of Mexico defeated the liberals, and Maximilian, arch- 
duke of Austria, was chosen emperor. The United States gov- 
ernment protested against the measure, but was unable to en- 
force the "Monroe doctrine." When the American people 
were relieved from the pressure of civil strife, they turned 
their attention to the Mexicans hopelessly struggling for Hb- 

obliged to swear that he had not participated in the secession movement. As few 
Southerners could take this " iron-clad oath," as it was termed, most of the repre- 
sentatives were Northern men who had gone South after the war, and were, there. 
tore, called " carpet-baggefs." 



1867.] 



EPOCH VI 



285 



erty, and the United States govemment demanded of Napo- 
leon the recall of the French troops. Maximilian, depriyed of 
foreign aid, was defeated, and, falhng into the hands of the 
Mexican liberals, was shot June 19, 1867. This ended the 
dream of French dominion on this continent. 

Laying of the Atlantic Cable. — While these great pohtical 
events were happening, science had achieved a peaceful tri- 
umph whose importance far transcended the victories of diplo- 




THE GREAT EASTERN LAYING THE ATLANTIC CABLE. 

matic or military skill. A telegraphic cable eighteen hundred 
and sixty-four miles in length had been laid from Valentia 
Bay, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland.* The two 



* The euccess of this enterprise was due to the energy of Cyrus W. Field. In 1856, 
the line was finished from New York to St. John's, Newfoundland, a distance of over 
one thousand miles. A company was then formed with a capital of about $1,750,000. 
A cable was made, but in an attempt to lay it (August, 1857), the cable parted. A 
second attempt, in June, 1858, failed after repeated trials. A third effort, in July, 
waa euccesBftil. A message was sent from the Queen of England to the President, 



286 UNITED STATES HISTORY. [1866. 

continents were thus brought into ahnost instant communi- 
cation. 

Foreign Aflfairs. — Purchase of Alaska (October, 1867). — 
Through the diplomacy of Wilham H. Seward, Secretary of 
State, Alaska was purchased of Russia for $7,200,000 in gold. 
It contains about 500,000 square miles, but it is principally 
valuable for its harbors, furs, and fisheries. 

Fenian Excitement — The Fenians, a secret society organ- 
ized for the purpose of dehvering Ireland from British rule, 
crossed the Canadian frontier at Buffalo, N. Y., and St. Albans, 
Vt., in large numbers. President Johnson issued a proclama- 
tion declaring the movement a violation of our neutrahty, and 
sent thither General Meade to execute the laws. After some 
skirmishing with British troops, the expedition returned. 

Treaty with China (1868). — An embassy from the Celestial 
Empire, under charge of Anson Burlingame,* visited the 
United States. It was an event of much importance, and the 
first of its kind in the history of that exclusive nation. A 
treaty was perfected guaranteeing liberty of conscience <to 
Americans in China, and certain commercial privileges bf 
great value. 

1 \ 

and a reply transmitted. A celebration was held in New York in honor of the event, 
but on that very day (September 1) the cable ceased to work. The time and money 
spent seemed a total loss. Mr. Field alone was undismayed. The company was re- 
vived, $3,000,000 were subscribed, and a new cable was manufactured. In July, 1865, 
the Great Eastern commenced laying this cable, but in mid-ocean it parted and sank 
to the bottom. Again Mr. Field went to work, raised a new company with a capital 
of $3,000,000, and made a third cable. The Great Eastern sailed with this June, 
1866, and successfully accomplished the feat. To make the triumph more complete, 
the vessel sailed back to the very spot where the cable of 1865 had parted, and, drop- 
ping grappliiig-irons, caught the lost cable, brought it to the surface, and, splicing it, 
laid the remaining portion. The two cables were found to work admirably. A 
despatch has belen sent across the ocean by a battery made in a gun-cap. 

* Burlingame had been the United States minister to the Chinese government for 
six years. During this time he had rendered himself so popular, that at the end of 
his term of service Prince Kung, the Chinese Regent, requested him to go on this 
special mission to foreign courts. After visiting the United States, he went to Eng- 
land, France, and Russia. He died at St. Petersburg within a month after his arrival 
there. 



1868.] EPOCH VI. 287 

Political Parties. — The republican party nominated Gen- 
eral Ulysses S. Grant, of Illinois, for President, and Schuyler 
Colfax, of Indiana, for Vice-President The democratic party 
nominated Horatio Seymour, of New York, and General Frank 
P. Blair, of Missouri. Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas were 
not allowed to vote. As the other Southern States had been 
" reconstructed," had granted negro suffrage, and enforced a 
strict registry law, they were permitted to participate in the 
election. Grant and Colfax were elected. 



GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION.* 

(EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT: 1869-1873.). . , . , . , 

Domestic Affairs. — Pacific Railroad. — The year 1869 
was made memorable by the opening of this road. It is 
eighteen hundred miles long, and completes the union be- 
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific. The traveler can pass from 
Boston to San Francisco in one week. This great highway has 

* Hiram Ulysses Grant was bom at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, April 27, 1822. He was 
very unwilling to follow his father's trade, which was that of a tanner, and, at seven- 
teen, an appointment was secured for him at West Point, His name having been 
wrongly registered. Grant vainly attempted to set the matter right, but finally ac- 
cepted his "manifest destiny," assumed the change thus forced upon him, and 
thenceforth signed himself '' Ulysses Simpson," the latter being his mothers family 
name. Two years after completing his four years' course as cadet, the Mexican War 
broke out, in which Grant conducted himself with great gallantry, receiving especial 
mention and promotion. After this, he retired to civil life, where he remained until 
the opening of the war in 1861, when he immediately offered his services in behalf of 
the Union. His modesty and diffidence delayed their acceptance, and Governor 
Yates, of Illinois, was the first to avail himself of them. Grant finally took the field 
as colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment Illinois Volunteers. His subsequent mili- 
tary history has been already narrated in the text. 

t Already this road is coming to be known as the Central Pacific, to distinguish it 
from other contemplated roads across the continent. The Northern Pacific, with its 
eastern terminus on Lake Superior, and its western on Puget Sound, is being pushed 
rapidly forward, and ere the snow of 1871-72 falls, will have reached the Red River 
of the North, or spanned one-eighth of the distance. Though far to the north, yet 
the climate is eo mild that nowhere is it colder than in Minnesota, while further west 



288 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



[1869. 



linked the West to the East by iron bands, has carried 

thousands of pioneers into 
the hitherto wild country 
along its route, developed 
fresh sources of industry 
and mines of wealth, and 
opened up the United States 
to the silks, teas, and spices 
of Asia. American ingenu- 
ity has solved the problem 
which foiled Columbus and 
the olden navigators. It has 
made for itself a route to 
India. 

The Fifteenth Amend- 
menty which guarantees to all the right of suffrage, irrespec- 
tive of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude," 
having been ratified by the requisite number of States, was 
formally announced as a part of the Constitution, by Hamil- 
ton Fish, Secretary of State, March 30, 1870. 

Prosperity of the Country. — The nation rapidly recovered 
from the effects of war. The price of gold fell to 110. The 
national debt was reduced $204,000,000 during the first two 
years of this administration. A general amnesty to all con- 
nected with the Civil War was proclaimed, and the bitter 
feelings engendered by fraternal strife fast melted away. The 
South, devastated and scourged by the march of contending 




ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



it Bteadily modifies until, in Oregon and Washington Territory, there is no winter 
weather at all, but only a rainy season, as in California. In portions of Dakota, 
Idaho, and Montana cattle range out on the natural grass pastures during the winter 
seapon ; while in Washington Territory roses blossom the year round. For the con- 
struction of this road, public lands have been given to the amount of over 80,000,000 
acres— "a farm larger by one-fourth than all the six New England States. It will 
run through a fer'ile belt of Territories which would make eighteen such States 
as Ohio, and ninety such as Massachusetts." These comparisons give some idea of 
the vast extent of our landed possessions. 



1870.] EPOCH VI. 289 

armies, accustomed herself to the noyel conditions of free 
labor, rebuilt her railroads, cultivated her fields, and re- 
paired the ravages of war. The census of 1870 showed that 
the population of the United States was over thirty-eight mil- 
lions, an increase of about seven millions during the preced- 
ing decade. 

Foreign AfTairs. — Difficulty with England. — The refusal 
of the Enghsh government to pay the damages to American 
commerce caused by the cruise of the Alabama produced 
much bitter feeling, and even threatened war. A high com- 
mission, composed of distinguished statesmen and jurists 
from both countries, met in Washington, and arranged the 
basis of a treaty between the United States and Great 
Britain, setthng this and other sources of dispute. 

Annexation of Santo Domingo.* — This republic, compris- 

* The island of Santo Domingo is the "New World's classic land." Here Colum- 
bus founded the first white colony on this side of the Atlantic, and transporting 
hither animals, trees, shrubs, vines, and grains, so to speak, grafted the old world 
upon the new. Hither, also, flocked the bold, adventurous, ambitious Spanish mul- 
titude (see p. 26). Great cities sprung up, rivaling the majestic proportions of Moor- 
ish capitals. Magnificent enterprises were set on foot and prospered. Here Ponce 
de Leon renewed his ambition, and set forth afresh on an expedition to Porto Rico, 
and thence to Florida, in search of the Fountain of Youth (see p. 26). "A century 
before Henry Hudson sailed up the noble river that perpetuates his name — more than 
a century before the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock— the city of Santo Domingo 
was a rich and populous center of industry and trade. Some of its palaces and 
churches still remain, massive and splendid ; among them, the great cathedral begun 
in 1514 and finished in 1540." But the Spanish policy of greed and oppression gradu- 
ally undermined itself. In 1T95, when Santo Domingo was ceded to France, it was 
" abandoned to such a degree that it was a mere v-lldemess, devoted to the grazing 
of cattle." Yet, in spite of past tjTanny, of neglect, and the knowledge that they had 
been " sold like a herd of cattle " to a foreign master, the Dominicans were loyal to 
Spain, and when Napoleon I. took possession of Madrid in 1808, they indignantly rose 
in arms, overpowered the French garrisons, and made themselves masters of their 
own country. They then rehoisted the Spanish flag, and in 1814, by the Treaty of 
Paris, Santo Domingo was formally restored to that country. Meanwhile, the few 
years of interval had taught them some of the pleasures of liberty, and the seed then 
implanted grew rapidly. In 1821, they severed their connection with the mother 
country, but only to be absorbed by the more thriving and populous Hayti. In 1844, 
the Dominican Republic declared itself free and independent. Great Britain, France, 
Spain, Denmark, Holland and Sardinia formally recognized it, and sent representa- 
tives to its capital. After seventeen years of struggle against European intrigue and 
Haytien aggression, it again lapsed into a Spanish dependency. Its story for the 
next four years is successively one of oppression, of revolt, of bloody wars, and of 

13 



290 UNITED STATES HISTQRY. [1871. 

ing a large part of the island of Hayti, applied for admission 
to the United States. The question was hotly debated in 
Congi'ess. A commission of eminent men, appointed by the 
President to visit the island and examine its condition, re- 
ported favorably. The measure, however, met with strong 
opposition, and is still (July, 1871) undecided. 

States Admitted during this Epoch. — Nebrasha, the 
thirty-seventh State, was admitted to the Union March 1, 
1867. (See Kansas) The name signifies "water valley." It 
is the seventh State in the great basin of the Mississippi 
formed from the Louisiana purchase. It was organized as a 
Territory in 1854. Having escaped the slavery agitation 
which convulsed its sister Territory, Kansas, it has steadily, 
though quietly, increased in population and wealth. 

final success. The Spanish fleet took final leave in 1865, and left the brave Domini« 
cans to their well-earned freedom. 



AfPIW^IX. 



QVi;?TW? fn ^^^?? ^?>^- 



These questions are placed at the close of the work rather than at 
the foot of each page, in order to compel a more independent use of 
the book. As far as possible, topical recitations should be encouraged. 
On naming the subject of a paragraph, the pupil should be expected to 
tell all he knows about it. A little patience and practice in this 
method will achieve wonderful results. The following pages often 
present topical questions in the hope of gradually leading the pupil to 
this system of study. The figures refer to the pages of the book. 

INTRODUCTION. 

9. From what continent did the first inhabitants of America probably 
come? How did they get here? (At that time it is probable that 
Behring Strait was not cut through, and the two continents were 
connected.) What remains of these people are found? Where do 
they occur ? 

10. What proof of their antiquity ? Describe the ruins at Newark, 
Ohio. The mound at St. Louis. The embankment in Adams County, 
Ohio. Are earth- works permanent ? Describe the ruins in South 
America. Who were the mound-builders ? 

11. What became of them? Who succeeded them? How did the 
Indians compare with them ? What do you say of the number of the 
Indians ? Where most numerous ? Were there any blacksmiths, 
carpenters, etc., among them? Were they a progressive people? In 
what were they skilled ? How did they regard labor ? 

12. Describe the life of their women. The Indian disposition. His 
power of endurance. 

13. His religion in New England. In New York. In Central 
America. How did his religion and his civilization compare ? What 
will be his fate ? Who were the Northmen ? What traditions about 
their having discovered and settled America ? 

14-16. Are these stories credible ? Are there any remains of this people 
now existing ? Were their discoveries of any value ? At what date 
does the history of this country begin ? Name the subjects and limits 
of the six epochs into which this history is divided. 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



FIRST EPOCH. 

19. What was the state of geographical knowledge in Europe in the 
fifteenth century? Why could not sailors have crossed the ocean 
before as well as then ? Why were books of travel more abundant 
then ? Why so eagerly read ? 

20. By what route were the goods from the East obtained ? Wliat 
was the problem of that day ? Columbus's idea ? What facts 
strengthened his view ? (See p. 21.) Tell something of his life. ,; 

21. Why did he seek assistance ? Before whom did he lay his plan ? 
How was it received ? Did the king treat him fairly ? To whom did 
Columbus apply next ? How was he regarded ? What reply was 
made him ? 

22. What did Columbus's friends do for him ? What offer did Queen 
Isabella make? Were her jewels sold? What new trouble assailed 
Columbus ? What vessels composed his fleet ? Give some of the inci- 
dents of the voyage. 

23. Did Columbus waver ? (There seems to be no truth in the 
common statement that he promised to turn back, if he did not discover 
land in three days.) Describe the discovery of land. The landing. 
Wlien and where was this ? What region did Columbus think he had 
reached? What was the result? For what did he search? What 
other islands did he discover ? 

24. Describe his reception on his return. How many subsequent voy- 
ages did Columbus make ? What settlement did he make ? (p. 289). Did 
he discover the main-land ? Did he know that he had found a new con- 
tinent ? Where is Columbus's tomb ? How was the continent named ? 

25. What was the plan of John Cabot ? What discoveries did he 
make ? Did his discoveries antedate those of Columbus ? Where and 
when is it probable the American continent was discovered? What 
discoveries did Sebastian Cabot make ? Did England improve them ? 
Of what value were they? 

26. What four nations explored the territory of the future United 
States ? What portion of the continent did each explore ? What was 
the feeling in Spain ? What effect was produced ? Why did Ponce de 
Leon come to the new world ? 

27. Whsit land did he discover ? Why did he so name it ? WTiat 
success did he meet? What discovery did Balboa make? Desciibe 
the expedition of De Narvaez. Its fate. Of De Soto. Of De Ayllon. 

28. W}\Sit region did De Soto traverse ? Did he make any valuable 
discoveries ? What river was his burial place ? When ? What 
became of his companions? 

29. When, where, and by whom was the first town in the United 
States founded? Meaning of the word California in the sixteenth 



QUESTIONS FOE CLASS USE. Ill 

century ? Why did Cortez explore tliat region ? Who made the first 
voyage along the Pacific coast ? WJiich is the second oldest town in 
the United States? When and by whom founded? What was the 
great wish of maritime nations ? 

30. What was the extent of the Spanish possessions in the new 
world ? Who was the first French navigator to reach the continent ? 
When ? What name did he give it ? Who discovered the River St. 
Lawrence ? Why did he so name it ? Ans. From the name of the day 
on wliich it was discovered. Why was Montreal so named ? Describe 
the attempt to plant a colony of convicts. Why did this fail ? 

31. Who were the Huguenots? What was Coligny's plan? Who 
led the first expedition ? Fate of the colony ? Tlie second expedition ? 
Amusing story of the longevity of the Indians ? . 

32. Fate of the colony? What French navigator was the next to 
ascend the St. Lawrence? How did he find things at Hochelaga? 
When, where, and by whom was the first permanent French settlement 
made in America ? How much land was granted ? 

33. When, where, and by whom was the first permanent French 
settlement made in Canada? What journey did Champlain make? 
What discoveries ? The consequence of his trip ? Wlio explored the 
Mississippi valley ? What relics of them remain ? Tell something of 
their heroism. Of Father Marquette. Of his death. 

34. Of La Salle. What were the results of French enterprise ? How 
did it compare with English enterprise ? "V\Tien did the English awake 
to the importance of American discovery ? Who made the first attempt 
to carry out Cabot's plan ? 

35. What success did he have ? Was the discovery of gold profitable ? 
Wliat discovery did Sir Francis Drake make ? 

36. What was the view of Sir Humphrey Gilbert ? His fate ? Wlio 
adopted his plan ? Give some account of Sir Walter Raleigh. Why 
was Virginia so named ? Where did Raleigh plant his first colony ? 
Give its history. 

37. What did the colonists introduce into England on their return ? 
Story told of Raleigh's smoking ? Give the history of the second colony. 
What kept the interest in America alive ? How did Gosnold shorten 
the voyage across the Atlantic ? 

38. What discoveries did Gosnold make ? Captain Pring ? Results 
of these explorations ? What was South Virginia ? North Virginia ? 
Where, when, and by whom was the first English settlement made in 
the United States? Wliat became of the colony sent out the same 
year by the Plymouth company ? Tell some of the provisions of the 
charter granted to these companies. Wliat is a charter? Ans. A 
document which confers the title to certain land, and, not unlike a 
constitution, defines the form of government, and secures to the people 
certain rights and privileges. 



IV UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

39. Who entered New York harbor next after Verrazani? Was 
Hudson a Dutchman ? (His given name was Henry, not Heindrich, as 
often stated.) What river did he discover ? What claim did the Dutch 
found on this discovery ? What name did they give to the region ? 
State the claims of these four nations, and the settlements they had 
made. 

40. Why were these claims conflicting ? Had these nations any idea 
of the extent of the country ? Which nation ultimately secured the 
whole region? Which centuries were characterized by explora- 
tions, and which century by settlements ? Name the permanent set- 
tlements which were made at the beginning of the seventeenth 
century. 



SECOND EPOClj. 



45. Name the thirteen colonies. Were they united during this 
epoch ? 

46. What was the character of the Virginia colonists ? What was 
their success ? Describe the services of John Smith. Give some of the 
incidents of his life. 

47. What was his theory of founding a colony ? Tell the story of 
his capture by the Indians. 

48. What change in the government of the colony was made by the 
second charter? Was it based on the principle of self-government? 
Why did Smith leave ? What was its efiect on the colony ? Tell some- 
thing of the " Starving Time." 

49. How did relief come? What change was made by the third 
charter ? Describe the marriage of Pocahontas. Her visit to England. 
Where was the first legislative body held ? 

50. When was the first constitution given ? Of what value were 
these? Give some particulars of the prosperity of the colony. Of 
the culture of tobacco. Of the purchase of wives. When and how 
was slavery introduced ? Why ? 

51. Why did the Indians now become hostile? Give some account 
of the massacre. Its result. What new change was made in the 
government ? Cause ? What was the Navigation Act ? Why was it 
oppressive ? What was the conduct of the assembly ? 

52. What division arose among the people? Give the history of 
Bacon's rebellion. Was Bacon a patriot or a rebel ? Wliat was the 
conduct of Berkeley ? What curious fact illustrates the ruling senti- 
ment of Massachusetts and of Virginia at that time. What coincidence 
between this event and the Revolution ? 

53. Describe John Smith's explorations at the north. What authority 
was granted to the Council of New England ? What became of the 
Plymouth Company? Give some account of the landing of the 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. V 

Pilgrims. Who were tlie Puritans? Why did they come to this 
country ? When ? 

54. What was their character ? What story is told to illustrate their 
piety ? Describe their sufferings. What is " Plymouth Rock " ? What 
do you mean by Dec. 11, O. S. and Dec. 21, N. S. ? 

55. Why did not the Indians disturb them ? What Indians visited 
them in the spring ? How did Governor Bradford reply to Canonicus's 
threat ? How did the colony progress ? Tell about the scarcity of food ? 

56. How did the plau of working in common succeed? Did they 
have any more privileges than the Jamestown colonists ? Who settled 
about Massachusetts Bay? Why was this colony popular? Who 
founded Salem? Boston? Did the Puritans tolerate other Churches? 
Why not ? 

57. Give au account of tlie difficulty with Roger Williams. Where 
did he go ? What settlement did he found ? Why did Mrs. Hutchinson 
become obnoxious? State their treatment of the Quakers. Wliat 
union of the colonies was now formed? ^^^lat was its object? What 
Indian chiefs befriended Massachusetts and Virginia in their early 
history ? 

58. Give an account of King Philip's war. Of the " swamp fight." 
Of the attack on Hadley. How did the colonists protect themselves ? 

59. How was the war finally ended ? How did the Navigation Act 
affect Massachusetts ? Did the Puritans obey it ? What change now 
took place in the government ? Give some account of Andros's rule. 
What action did the colonists take ? What form of government was 
finally imposed upon them ? 

60. Give an account of the Salem witchcraft. What is a " witch " ? 
Was this delusion common at that time? What two colonies were 
intimately united to Massachusetts? What was Laconia? 

61. Give an account of the early settlement of New Hampshire? 
Of Maine ? What is said of the claims made upon the land by the 
heirs of these proprietors ? Why are these States so named ? Who 
obtained a grant of the territory now embraced in Connecticut ? Who 
claimed this region ? 

63. Give an account of the early settlement at Windsor. Hartford. 
Saybrook. How were the Narraganset Indians kept from joining the 
Pequods against the whites ? Describe the attack upon the Pequod fort. 

63. Wliat three colonies were formed in Connecticut? What pecu- 
liarities in the government of each ? How were they combined into 
one colony ? Why was the charter so highly prized ? What story is 
told of Andros's visit ? 

64. What became of the charter? Wliat colony was established the 
same year that Hooker went to Hartford. Wliat exiles settled Ehode 
Island? Why was the island so called? Wliat fact illustrates 
Williams's g-enerositv? 



y'l UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

65. \Vliat was liis favorite idea? Wliy was not the colony allowed 
to join the New England Union? How was a charter secured? What 
was its character ? Give an account of the settlement of New York by 
the Dutch. Who were the " patroons " ? 

66. What was the character of the history of New York under its 
four Dutch governors ? Who was the ablest of them ? How much 
territory did he claim ? How did he settle the boundary lines ? Tell 
something of the gro^vth of liberty among the peojjle. 

67. Describe old Peter's reluctance to surrender to the English. 
WHiy was the colony named New York? Were the people pleased 
with the English rule ? Was the English occupation permanent ? Was 
civil liberty secured under Andros ? Dougan ? WHiat course did the 
Duke of York take when he became King of England ? Tell how 
Captain Leisler came to assume the government. Of his trial and 
execution. 

68. In what colony was New Jersey formerly embraced ? Who first 
settled it ? When, to whom, and by whom was the land granted ? 
Where and by whom was the first English settlement made ? Why so 
called ? How divided ? Who settled the different parts ? 

69. How did New Jersey come to be united to New York ? To be 
made a separate royal province ? Where and by whom was the first 
settlement in Delaware made ? In Pennsylvania ? Who was the 
founder of Pemisylvania ? Give some account of William Penn. Of 
the Quakers. 

70. How did Penn come to obtain a grant of this region ? Why was 
it so named ? What was Delaware styled ? How did Penn settle the 
territory ? What city did he found ? Meaning of the name ? Rapidity 
of its growth ? Wliat was the " Great Code" ? Was religious tolera- 
tion granted ? 

71. Give an account of Penn's treaty with the Indians. In what 
spirit did Penn treat the colony ? 

72. How came Delaware to be separated from Pennsylvania ? Was 
this separation total ? How did Pennsylvania secure tlie title to its 
soil ? With what intent did Lord Baltimore secure a grant of land in 
America ? When was the first settlement made ? Why was Maryland 
so named ? What class of people generally settled this country ? 

73. WTiat advantage did the Maryland charter confer ? WTiat was 
the " Toleration Act" ? How did religious toleration vary in the colo- 
nies? Give an account of Claiborne's rebellion. Of the difficulties be- 
tween the Catholics and the Protestants. 

74. ^Vliat territory was granted to Lord Clarendon ? By whom was 
the Albemarle colony settled? What course did the proprietors take ? 
By whom was the Carteret colony settled ? What location did they 
select ? What do you say of the rapidity of its growth ? 

75. Of the Huguenots ? Wlio were they ? WTiat influence did they 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. Vll 

have on the colony ? What was the " Grand Model" ? How was it un- 
fitted for a new country ? How was it received ? What were the rela- 
tions between the proprietors and settlers ? How were the difficulties 
ended ? How came Carolina to be divided ? 

76. By what coincidence is Georgia linked with Washington ? With 
what intention was this colony planned ? Character of the settlers ? 
Restrictions of the trustees ? Result ? 

77. How many inter-colonial wars were there ? If you include the 
Spanish war? (See p. 80, note.) Duration of King William's war? 
Cause? Describe the Indian attacks upon the colonists. Tell the 
story of Mrs. Dustin. 

78. What attacks were made by the colonists in return ? Were they 
successful ? What was the result of the war ? 

79. Length of Queen Anne's war? Cause? Where was the war 
mainly fought ? Eifect upon New England ? What attack by the col- 
onists at the south ? At the north ? Tell the story of Mrs. Williams. 

80. Result of the war ? Length of King George's war ? Cause ? 
Principal event ? Give an account of the capture of Louisburg. Of 
the Spanish war. 

81. Result of the war ? Length of the French and Indian war ? 
Cause ? Occasions of quarrel ? 

82. Give an account of Washington's journey to Lake Erie. His re- 
turn. Result of his journey, 

83. What did the French do in the spring ? The Virginia troops un- 
der Washington ? Fate of Jumonville ? Give an account of the cap- 
ture of Fort Necessity by the French. Who fired the first gun of this 
war? Name the five objective points of this war. 

84. Why were they so obstinately attacked and defended ? Give an 
account of the defeat of General Braddock? Where? Character of 
Braddock ? Conduct of Washington ? 

85. Give an account of the second expedition ? Wlio finally captured 
the fort ? What city now occupies its site ? What was the principal 
cause of the easy capture of the fort ? (See p. 87, note.) What suc- 
cess did the English meet in Acadia ? What cruel act disgraced their 
victory ? What attempt was made on Louisburg ? Who finally cap- 
tured it? 

86. Describe the battle of Lake George. Who earned the glory of 
this victory and who got it ? Tell the story of Dieskau's death. The 
fate of Fort William Henry. Describe the attack on Fort Ticonderoga 
by Abercrombie. 

87. When were both forts captured ? Describe the two attempts to 
capture Niagara. Who forced it to surrender ? In what year did these 
successes occur ? Describe the difficulties which General Wolfe met in 
his attack on Quebec. 

88. 89. How did he overcome them ? Describe the battle on the 



Vm UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

Plains of Abraham. What was the result of the battle ? The condi- 
tions of peace ? 

90. Cause of Pontiac's war? Result? Fate of Pontiac? What 
stratagems did the Indians use? Effects of the French and Indian 
war? 

91. How did the British officers treat the colonial officers ? Condition 
of the colonies ? How many kinds of government ? Name and define 
each. How many colleges ? Did the English government supjioit edu- 
cational interests ? 

92. Condition of agriculture? Manufactures? Commerce? Were 
there many books or papers ? How did the people travel ? Tell some- 
thing about the first public conveyances. Was money plenty ? 

93. Condition of morals in New England ? Name some peculiar cus- 
toms. Some rigid laws. Who was entitled to the prefix Mr, ? What 
were common people called ? Laws with regard to drinking ? Using 
tobacco ? 

94. Tell something of the habits of the people in New York. ^Vliat 
customs familiar to us are of Dutch origin ? How did the style of liv- 
ing at the south differ from that at the north ? Describe a southern 
plantation. What is said of Mount Vernon flour ? Of the luxurious 
living ? State of education in New England ? 

95. Tell something of the support given to schools. Of the founding 
of Yale College. Of their town meetings. Of the state of education in 
the middle colonies. How were the ministers' salaries met ? 

96. What was the state of education in the southern colonies ? Pro- 
vision made for public worship ? Give some idea of the early Virginia 
laws concerning worship. 



THIRD EPOCIJ 



101. How did England treat the colonies ? Give some illustrations. 

102. What was the tendency of this course of conduct ? What were 
Writs of Assistance ? The Stamp Act ? How did the colonists receive 
the latter ? Tell the story of Patrick Henry. 

103. What efforts were made to resist the law ? What effect did they 
have on the English government ? Was this permanent ? What was 
the Mutiny Act ? Why was it passed ? 

104. How was it received by the colonists ? Tell about the Boston 
Massacre. When ? The Boston Tea Party. Why was the tea thrown 
overboard ? For what is Faneuil Hall noted ? What did the English 
now do ? 

lOG, 107. What parties were formed ? What action did the colonists 
take? When and where was the " First Continental Congress" lield ? 



questio:n's for class use. ix 

What action did it take ? When and where was the first blood spilled ? 
Describe how the battle of Lexington occurred. 

108, 109. Effects of this battle ? Tell how the battle of Bunker Hill 
occurred. Describe it. Tell something of " Old Put." 

110. Effect of the battle ? Death of General Warren. Give some 
account of Ethan Allen. Why were the New Hampshire Grants so 
called ? Describe the capture of Ticonderoga. 

111. Meeting of Second Continental Congress. Its action. What 
was the condition of the army? What expedition was undertaken 
against Canada? 

113. Describe the attack upon Quebec. Its end. How were the Brit- 
ish forced to leave Boston ? 

113. How had they treated the Boston people ? The Boston boys ? 
Describe the attack on Fort Moultrie. Its effect. Tell the story 
of Sergeant Jasper. 

114. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? How 
many colonies voted for it ? Tell the story of the old " liberty bell." 
How did the campaign near New York occur ? Describe the battle of 
Long Island. What decided it in favor of the English ? 

115. By what providential circumstance did the Americans escape? 
What were the prison ships ? W^ho were the Hessians ? Tell the story 
of Nathan Hale. 

116, 117. What battles occurred while Washington was falling back ? 
Describe his retreat through New Jersey. Hov/ did he escape ? What 
general was captured by the enemy ? What was the condition of the 
country? Describe the battle of Trenton. Tell the story of Ball. 

118. The effect of this battle. Name the battles of 1776 in order. 
Describe the battle of Princeton. What providential circumstance 
favored the attack ? 

119. How did the battle of Brandywine occur? Describe it. What 
decided it in favor of the English ? W^hat previous battle did it resem- 
ble ? Give some account of La Fayette. 

120. 121. Describe the battle of Germanto-vvn. Why did the Ameri- 
cans fail ? How did the campaign in Pennsylvania close ? What dis- 
astrous attempt was made by the British at the north ? Describe the 
burning of Danbury, the capture of General Prescott, and the murder 
of Jane McCrea. What events attended General Burgoyne's march 
south ? What measures were taken to check his iidvance ? 

122. Who succeeded General Schuyler ? What was Schuyler's con- 
duct ? What events deranged Burgoyne's plans ? How was the siege 
of Fort Stanwix raised ? Tell something of Kosciusko. 

123. Of the battle of Bennington. For what incident is it noted ? 

124. Describe the first battle of Saratoga. The second battle. Who 
was the hero of the fight ? How did General Eraser die ? Tell some 
incidents of the campaign. 



X UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

125. Eflfect of these fights ? Name the battles of 1777 in order. De- 
scribe the sufferings at Valley Forge. • 

126. How could the soldiers endure such misery ? What news came 
in the spring ? Story told of Washington by Mr. Potts ? Tell some- 
thing of the Conway cabal. History of Benjamin Franklin. 

127. What caused tlio battle of Monmouth to happen ? Describe its 
prominent incident. Give history of General Lee. What before this 
have we heard of him ? What story is told of General Reed ? 

128. Of Mary Pitchor ? What campaign was now planned by the aid 
of the French ? How did it turn out ? Describe the Wyoming massa- 
cre. What poem has been written upon this event ? Ans. Campbell's 
Gertrude of Wyoming. Name the battles of 1778 in order. 

129. Why was the war now transferred to the south ? How did the 
campaign open ? Describe the attack on Savannah. Who were killed? 
Tell something of Count Pulaski. Was the French aid of great value ? 

130. What characterized the campaign at the north ? Tell story of 
General Putnam. Describe the capture of Stony Point. 

131. General Sullivan's expedition. What do you say of the naval 
successes ? 

132. Describe the contest between the Bon Homme Richard and the 
Serapis. What colony was conquered by the British during this year ? 
Name the principal battles of 1779 in order. 

133. What city was now captured ? What followed ? How did the 
battle of Camden occur? Describe it. What was its result? Tell 
something of the famous partisan warfare of those times. 

134. Name some leaders. Story of Marion. Some partisan victories. 
Death of Colonel Hayne. Effect of this independent warfare? Tell 
something of the depreciation of the continental money. 

135. What mutiny occurred ? Tell the story of Arnold's treason. 

136. Of Andre's capture and fate. Of Arnold's escape and reward. 
In what estimation was he held ? Name the principal events of 1780. 

137. Condition of the army at the south? Who now took command? 
Describe the battle of the Cowpens. Describe Greene's celebrated re- 
treat ? How many times did the rain save him ? 

138. By what two battles was the contest at the soiTth closed ? Were 
the English or Americans victorious ? Give anecdotes illustrative of 
the patriotism of the women? Character of General Greene? 

139. Where did Cornwallis go after the failure of his southern cam- 
paign? What kind of a war did he wage in Virginia? Why did he 
retire to Yorktown ? What plan did Washington now adopt ? 

140. Describe the siege. Its result. The surrender. The effect. 
On what ])lundering tours did Arnold go ? Story told of Governor 
Nelson? Name the principal battles of 1781 in order. 

141. How was the news of C )rnwallis's surrender received ? 

142. Was all peril to our liberties over ? What was the condition of 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. XI 

tl^e country ? What base offer was made to Washington ? How did 
iie pacify the army ? When was peace signed V W hat was the re- 
sult ? W^hat course did Washington take? 

143. Tell something of the weaivness of the government. What held 
the colonies together ? Cause of Shay's rebellion ? What need was 
felt ? How was it met ? When was the Constitution adopted ? What 
parties arose ? How soon was the Constitution ratified V How many 
tstates were necessary ? When did the new government go into opera- 
tion? 



FOURTH EPOCI^. 



147, 148. Limits of this epoch ? Its characteristic idea ? Who was 
the first President of the United States ? When and where was he in- 
augurated ? Where was the capital ? Name its changes. What was 
the popular feeling toward Washington ? Give some account of Wash- 
ington's life and character. 

151. What difficulties beset the goverrmient? What departments 
were established? Name the members of the first Cabmet. What 
financial measures were adopted ? 

152. By whose advice ? What did Webster say of Hamilton ? Give 
an account of the whisky rebellion. Of the Indian war at the north- 
west. What difficulty arose with England ? 

153. How was it settled ? How was the treaty received in this coun- 
try ? What treaty was made with Spain V Algiers ? What was the 
popular feeling toward France? Why was Genet recalled? What 
parties now arose ? Wlio were the leaders of each ? Their views ? 
Tell something of Randolph. 

154. Who was elected second President ? Tell something of Adams's 
life. What were the alien and sedition laws ? Why were they passed ? 

155. How were they received ? How did the French difficulty look 
during this administration ? How was it terminated ? What reply did 
Pinckney make to the base offer of the French Directory. State of 
party feeling ? Who was elected third President ? Why was not Adams 
re-elected ? Wliat was the important event of Jefferson's administration ? 
Why? 

156. Tell something of Jefferson's life and character. Tell how 
Hamilton was killed. Wliat became of Burr ? 

157. Tell something of Fulton's invention. Of the war with Tripoli. 
Of Lieutenant Decatur's exploit. 

158. Wliat difficulty now arose with England and France ? Wliat is 
the American doctrine? Was the impressment of seamen general? 
What was the issue of the next political campaign ? Who was elected 
fourth President ? Views of the federalists ? 

159. Give an account of Madison's life and character. Of the battle 



XU UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

of Tippecanoe. Effect of tliis Indian war ? State how tlie breach with 
England widened. Difficulty between the President and Little Belt. 

li)0. When was war declared ? How long did the war last V What 
was the opening event of the war of 1812 ? Describe the surrender of 
Detroit. The. battle of Queenstown Heights. 

161. How did the naval and the laud warfare compare? Describe 
the fight between the Constitution and Gucrriere. 

162. Between the Frolic and Wasp. How many prizes were captured 
by privateers ? What are privateers ? 

163. Effect of these victories? Name the battles of 1812 in order. 
Plan of the campaign of 1813. What did the armies of the centre and 
north do ? What did the British do ? What reverse happened to 
a part of General Harrison's command? Describe this rout. Tell 
something of Proctor's brutality. 

164. Describe the three attacks made by Proctor. In which was he 
successful ? Describe Perry's victory on Lake Erie. 

165. What gallant exploit was performed by Perry ? What issues 
depended on this fig-ht ? Describe the battle of the Tliames. What 
celebrated Indian was killed? Effect of these victories? Who gained 
great credit ? 

166. Describe the battle between the Che sapeake and the Shannon. 
What were Lawrence's dying words? "Who used them in battle? 
Wliat Indian difficulties ? How did General Jackson avenge the 
massacre of Fort Minis ? Story told of Jackson ? 

167. What ravages were committed by Admiral Cockburn? ^^^ly 
was New England spared ? . Name the principal battles of 1813 in order. 

168. What movement was made by General Bro^vn ? W^hat general 
led the advance ? What battles ensued ? Describe the battle of 
Lundy's Lane. W^hat story is told of Colonel Miller? "WTiat battle 
took place in New York ? How did that happen ? Describe it. 

169. Describe the ravages made by the British on the Atlantic coast. 
Attack on W^ashington, On Baltimore. Result of these events. The 
Hartford Convention. Wliat put an end to these fears ? Why was the 
battle of New Orleans unnecessary ? 

170. Describe this battle. How did it happen that raw militia defeated 
English veterans ? 

171 . Results of this war ? Effect upon the federalist party ? Who 
was elected fifth President ? Was Monroe a popular man ? Give some 
account of his life and character. What was the characteristic of his 
administration ? 

173. What was the Ttlissouri Compromise ? Cause of it ? Give an 
account of I^a Fayette's visit. What territory was gained by treaty ? 
A7ifi. The treaty with Spain which secured Florida, also relinquished 
all Spanish authority over the region west of the Rocky Mountains, 
claimed by the United States as belonging to the Louisiana purchase. 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. Xlli 

but not pre\dously acknowledged by Spain. In the beginning of the 
war of 1812, a strip of coast about fifty miles wide, lying between 
Florida and Louisiana, considered by Spain as a part of Florida, had 
been taken by the United States under the claim that it belonged to the 
Louisiana purchase. What famous doctrine advanced by Monroe ? What 
political changes now took place ? What party was arising ? Its prin- 
ciples ? Principles of the democratic party V Champions of each party ? 
Which party absorbed most of the old federalists ? Why ? Who was 
elected sixth President ? How ? 

174. Give some account of the life and character of John Quincy 
Adams. Of his administration. Was it popular ? How was the pro- 
tective tariif received ? Who was elected seventh President ? 

175. Account of the life and character of Jackson. Contrast him 
with John Quincy Adams. What princij^le did he introduce ? What 
was the nullification ordinance ? 

176. How did Jackson act^ Clay pacify? V/hat celebrated debate 
took place ? What is said of Calhoun ? Of Clay's patriotism ? What 
action did Jackson take concerning the United States Bank '? Its effect ? 

177. How did speculation become rife? Give an account of the 
Black Hawk war. The Seminole war. What is said of Osceola? 
His fate ? 

178. Difficulty with France? How was it settled? Who were the 
Presidential candidates ? What were their principles ? Who was 
elected eighth President ? Give an account of the life and character of 
Van Buren. Of the crisis of 1837. 

179. Its effect on trade. Of the patriot war. Of Van Buren's Sub- 
Treasury Bill. Story of the steamer Caroline. 

180. What was the northeast boundary question ? How was it 
settled ? What was the Ashburton treaty ? Who was elected ninth 
President ? Who was his opponent ? Give an account of the life and 
character of Harrison. What was the cause of his sudden death? 
Who succeeded him ? 

181. Was Tyler's administration successful? Did he remain true to 
his party ? What course did he take with regard to the United States 
Bank ? Give an account of the Dorr rebellion. 

182, 183. Of the anti rent diflaculties. Of the Mormons. Of the origin 
and early history of this sect. Of the annexation of Texas, Why was 
this measure warmly opposed ? How was the northwestern boundary 
question settled ? 

184. Who were the Presidential candidates? Give an account of 
Clay. Who was elected eleventh President ? 

185. Give an account of the life of Polk. What war now broke out? 
Give an account of Taylor's campaign on the Rio Grande. 

186. Describe the capture of Monterey. The battle of Buena Vista. 

187. What battles had Taylor fought ? By what incident or peculiarity 



XIV UNITED STATES IIISTOKY. 

can you recollect each one ? Stories told of Taylor ? Account of 
Kearney's expedition. 

188. Describe the conquest of California. Who was the hero of this 
exploit ? Give an account of Colonel Doniphan's expedition. Capture 
of Vera Cruz. Battle of Cerro Gordo, 

189. What city now surrendered ? Describe the battles before 
Mexico. The result. 

190. Wlien was peace concluded ? What did the United States gain 
by the war ? What was the Wilmot proviso ? Give an account of the 
discovery of gold in California. 

191. Of the vigilance committees. Of the political parties. Who 
was elected twelfth President ? Give an account of the life and 
character of Taylor. How long was he President ? Who succeeded 
him ? What questions agitated the people ? 

193. Why were these now awakened? Effect? What course did 
Clay take ? Webster ? Give some account of Webster. 

193. What was the Compromise of 1850 ? What did it propose ? By 
what name is it commonly known ? Give an account of the fiUibusters. 
Of the political parties. Who was elected fourteenth President ? 

194. Give an account of the life of Pierce. Of the Kansas-Nebraska 
bill. What is squatter sovereignty ? Tell how the public lands have 
threatened the peace of the country. How they have enhanced its 
prosperity. 

195. How did the contest arise in Kansas? Its result? Cause of 
Brook's assault on Sumner ? What was the Gadsden purchase ? Give 
an account of the treaty with Japan. What political parties now arose ? 

196. Who was elected fifteenth President ? Give some account of Bu- 
chanan's life. Of the Know-Nothing party. Of the Dred Scott decision. 

197. How was this regarded at the North and at the South ? Why 
was the Fugitive Slave law obnoxious ? What were Personal Liberty 
bills ? Give an account of the John Brown affair. What was the ques- 
tion of the elections ? Who were nominated for the Presidency ? Who 
was elected sixteenth President ? 

198. Give an account of the secession of the South on the election of 
Lincoln. Give a history of the gradual growth of this movement. 

199. When and where was the Confederate government formed ? 
Who were elected President and Vice-President ? What action was 
taken ? Condition of the country ? Give an account of the condition 
of affairs at Fort Sumter. 

200. Was any attempt made by the United States authorities to re- 
lieve it ? For what did the nation wait ? 

No questions are given upon the new States admitted to the Union 
during this epoch, as each class wdll naturally commit only that which 
concerns its own State, and will wish to add to the facts given hero 
those obtained from other sources. 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. XV 



FlFTIf EPOCH. 



215. Give an account of Lincoln's inauguration. Of liis early history. 
Of the condition of the country, 

216. Was war a necessity ? What precipitated this issue ? When 
was the first gun of the Civil War fired ? Give an account of the caj)- 
ture of Fort Sumter. 

217. Effect of this event ? What action did the North take ? The 
South ? When and where was the first blood shed ? What valuable 
stores were seized ? How did the war in Virginia open ? 

218. How was Fortress Monroe protected from capture ? Give an ac- 
count of the Big Bethel affair. Of the war in Western Virginia. Ori- 
gin of the term " Contrabands." 

219. How did the battle of Bull Run take place ? Describe it. By 
what peculiarity can you recollect it ? Its date ? Plow did Jackson re- 
ceive the name " Stonewall " ? 

220. Give an account of the retreat. Its effect. Of the battle at 
Ball's Bluff. Who now took command of the Union troops ? 

221. Give an account of the war in Missouri. What battles were 
fought ? What leaders on each side ? What Union general who after- 
ward became celebrated ? Condition of affairs in the border States ? 

222. What step did Davis take ? Number of vessels in the Union 
navy ? " What naval expeditions were made ? What places captured ? 
What was the peculiarity of the attack on the Port Royal forts ? De- 
scribe the Trent affair. 

223. Give a general review of the first year of the war. Describe the 
preservation of Fort Pickens. Situation at the opening of 1862. Wliat 
was the plan of the campaign ? 

224o What was the Confederate line of defence at the West ? Union 
plan of attack ? Where was the first attack ? Describe the capture of 
Fort Henry. 

225. Fort Donelson. Story told of General Grant. Effect of these 
victories. What was the next movement ? Describe the battle of 
Shiloli or Pittsburg Landing, 

226. By what peculiarity can you recollect it ? How did the battle 
turn on the second day ? 

227. How was Corinth captured ? Describe the taking of Island No. 
10. WTiat were the effects of the Shiloh battle ? 

228. What line was now held by the Union army ? Where were the 
Confederates located? What movements did they make to break 
through the Union lines ? Describe Bragg's expedition. Was it suc- 
cessful ? Cause of the battles of luka and Corinth ? Result ? 

229. How was Bragg's second expedition stopped ? Describe the bat- 
tle of Murfreesboro. What was its e^ect? What coincidence ? 



XVI UN^ITED STATES II I S T K Y . 

230. What was Grant's plan for an expedition against Vicksburg? 
Was it successful ? What event closed the Mississippi campaign ? 
What battle was fought in Missouri ? Condition of the State ? What 
massacre occurred in Kansas ? 

231, 232. Describe the capture of New Orleans by Farragut. Burn- 
side's expedition against Roanoke Island. What was the importance 
of Roanoke Island ? 

233, 234. What places in Florida were captured ? Describe the battle 
between the Monitor and the Merrimac. Its results. 

235. Object of the war in the East? What campaign was under- 
taken? Who was the commanding general? Describe the siege of 
Yorktown. 

236. The battle of Williamsburg. What checked McClellan's ad- 
vance ? What battle ensued ? Its result ? What was now the expec- 
tation of the Union army ? 

237. How did General Joseph E. Johnston thwart General ^McClellan's 
plan ? Give an account of Jackson in the Shenandoah. Effect of this 
movement ? Story told of Jackson. 

238. Describe the battle of Fair Oaks. How was the Union advance 
on Richmond checked ? Who now took command of the Confederate 
army ? What plan did McClellan form ? 

239. Describe the seven days' battles. In what way was the retreat 
conducted ? With what battle did it close ? 

240. Effect of this campaign ? Feeling at the North ? Why did Lee 
now march North ? Who took command of the Union army before 
Washington ? Describe Lee's campaign against Pope. 

241. Its effect. What plan did Lee now adopt? Who assumee\ 
commiind of the Army of the Potomac ? Describe McClellan's move- 
ments in pursuit. On what expedition was Jackson sent? 

242. Describe the battle of Antietam. Its effect. 

243. The battle of Fredericksburg. Give a review of the second year 
of the war. 

244. What Indian conflict at the West ? What was the situation at 
the beginning of the year 18G3 ? What movement did Grant make 
against Vicksburg ? 

245. Describe this campaign. Its result. The effect. 

246. The movements of Rosecrans in Tennessee and Georgia. Gen 
eral Morgan's raid. 

247-249. The battle of Cliick^mauga. By what event can you recol- 
lect it ? Describe the situation at Chattanooga. Tlie battle of Look- 
out Mountain. Attack on Missionary Ridge. Its effect. 

250. The siege of Knoxville. The battle of Cliancellorsville. 

251. Lee's second invasion of the North. 

253-254. The battle -of Gettysburg— first day, sec )nd day, third day. 
Its effect. The attack on Ch4rleston. What two contemporaneous 



QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE. XVll 

events ? Wliat was the " swamp angel " ? What do you say of the 
negro troops ? Of their charge on Fort Wagner ? 

255. Give a general review of the third year of the war. State the 
situation at the beginning of the year 1864. Grant's plan. 

256. Describe Johnston's plan of defence. How did Sherman drive 
him from these positions ? Name the battles. Who succeeded John- 
ston in command ? What followed ? How did Sherman capture 
Atlanta ? The effect ? 

258. What prevented Sherman's advance into Georgia ? How was 
he relieved of this difficulty ? Where did Hood go ? What befell him 
in Tennessee ? Describe the battle of Nashville. Its effect. 

259. Describe Sherman's march to the sea. Its effect. Kilpatrick's 
raid to Richmond. 

260. Describe the battle of the Wilderness. By what peculiarity was 
it distinguished? Its result? Describe the battle of Spottsylvania 
Court House. 

261. Its result. Describe the battle of Cold Harbor. What famous 
despatch did Grant send ? 

262. The attack on Petersburg. The effect of this campaign. Tlie 
three co-operative expeditions. The mine explosion. 

263. The attack on the Weldon Railroad. Why did Lee send Early 
into the Shenandoah Valley ? Describe Early's raid. 

264. What Union general was now sent to this region? Describe 
Sheridan's campaign. His ride from Winchester. His devastation of 
the country. 

265. The effect of his campaign. Describe the Red River expedi- 
tion. The rescue of Porter's fleet. The massacre at Fort Pillow. 

266. The attack on Mobile by Farragut. First expedition against 
Fort Fisher. 

267. The second expedition. Capture of the fort. Effectiveness of 
the blockade. Blockade runners. 

268. Give an account of the Confederate cruisers. Of the battle 
between the Alabama and the Kearsarge. 

2o9. Of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions. Of political affairs. 

270. Who was elected President? Give a general review of the 
fourth year of the war. 

271. Describe the situation at the opening of the year 1865. Sher- 
man's march through the Carolinas. 

2iii2. Its result. What was the situation at Richmond? Describe 
the attack on Fort Steadman. Why was it made ? 

273. Its effect. Describe the battle of Five Forks. Its effect. The 
capture of Petersburg and Richmond. 

274. The pursuit of Lee. His surrender. 

275. 276. The terms. Its effect. Fate of Davis. The cost of the war. 
The assassination of Lincoln. 

27?. What State was added during this epoch ? 



XVlll UISriTED STATES HISTORY. 



SIXTH EPOClj. 



281. Who became President on tlie death of Lincohi ? Give an ac- 
count of the life of Johnson. What was the size of the two armies at 
the close of the war? Wliat did their peaceful discharge prove? 

282. What do you mean by " reconstruction " ? What was the recon- 
struction policy of Johnson ? What is the Thirteenth Amendment ? 

283. What was the condition of the public finances ? What was the 
reconstruction policy of Congress? Result of this clashing between 
Congress and the President? On what conditions were the seceded 
States finally readmitted to their former position in the Union ? 

284. Why was Johnson impeached ? Its result ? What is the Four- 
teenth Amendment ? What Indian war now arose ? How was it termi- 
nated ? Give an account of the French interference in Mexico. How 
did it end ? 

285. Of the laying of the Atlantic Cable. 

286. Wliat territory was added to the United States? Of what 
value ? Give an account of the Fenian excitement in 1866. 

287. Of the treaty with China. What State was admitted soon after 
the close of the Civil War ? Who were the Presidential candidates ? 
Who was elected eighteenth President ? 

288. Give an account of the Pacific Railroad, and its value to the 
country. What new railroad is building ? What is the climate in the 
far north along the Mississippi Valley and the Pacific coast ? Extent 
of the public lands ? 

289. Wliat is the Fifteenth Amendment ? What diflSculty arose with 
England ? What was the High Commission ? Give some account of 
Santo Domingo, and its application to be annexed to the United States ? 



jil^T^HIi^^i i^^e;j:^H^e;5\TI<)]^?. 



7. What three ex-Presidents died on the 4th of July? 



iu. 



h^-\^ 



1. In what battle was Molly Stark the watchword? 

2. What battle occurred when both armies were marching to make a 

night attack upon each other? 

3. What battles have resulted in the destruction or surrender of an 

entire army ? 

4. What general rushed into battle without orders and won it ? 

5. What trees are celebrated in our history ? 

6. In what battle did Washington bitterly rebuke the commanding 
general, and himself rally the troops to battle ? ^ ^ ;, /), 

"hat three ex-Presidents died on the 

8. What cities have undergone a siege ? ^ 

9. Contrast the characters of Washington and Jefferson. < 

10. By whom and on what occasion were the words used, " Millions for 

defence, but not one cent for tribute ? " 

11. Give the coincidences in the lives of the three great statesmen — 

Webster, Clay, and Calhoun. 

12. After whom ought this continent to have been named? 

13. What celebrated philosopher, when a boy, went without meat to 

buy books ? 

14. How did a half-witted boy once save a fort from capture ? 

15. Name the retreats famous in our history. 

16. When did a fog save our army? A rain? 

17. When did a stone house largely decide a battle ? A stone wall ? 

18. Wliat general was captured through his carelessness, and exchanged 

for another taken in a similar way ? 

19. What battles have been decided by an attack in the rear ? 

20. Who said, " I would rather be right than be President " ? 

21. When has an unnecessary delay cost a general a victory ? 

22. Name the events in our history which seem to you providential. 

23. What general died at the moment of \ictory ? 

24. Name some defeats which had all the effect of victories. 

25. Of what general was this said to be always true ? 

26. When was the Mississippi River the western boundary of the 

United States ? The Rocky Mountains ? 

27. What territory has the United States acquired by purchase ? By 

conquest? By annexation ? 

28. What Vice-Presidents were afterward elected Presidents ? 

29. What navigator shortened the voyage across the Atlantic ? 



XX UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

30. What tea party is celebrated in our history ? 

31. Who was President from 1787 (the adoption of the constitution) 

to 1789 ? 

32. How many attacks have been made on Quebec ? 

S3. Who said, " I am* not worth purchasing, but such as I am the king 
of England is not rich enough to buy me " V 

34. Which is the longer, the Atlantic Cable or the Pacific Railroad ? 

35. Why were the Hiver St. Lawrence, Florida, St. Augustine, etc., 

so named ? 
3G. What naval commander captured his antagonist as his own vessel 
was sinking? 

37. How many expeditions have been made into Canada ? 

38. What battle was preceded by prayer ? 

39. What do the French names in the Mississippi valley indicate ? 

40. What do the names New York, New England, New Hampshire. 

Georgia, Carolina, etc., indicate ? 

41. When has the question of the public lands threatened the Union? 
4^. Who, in a frail canoe, on a stormy night, visited an Indian wigwam 

to save the lives of his enemies ? 

43. In what battle did the Continentals gain the victory by falling back 

and then suddenly facing about upon the enemy ? 

44. How many times has Fort Ticonderoga been captured? 

45. Why were Davis's Strait, Baffin's Bay, Hudson liiver, Frobisher's 

Strait, etc., so named ? 

46. What do the names San Salvador, Santa Cruz, Vera Cruz, La 

Trinidad, etc., indicate ? 

47. In what battles had the opposing generals formed the same plan ? 

48. What Presidents died in ofiice ? 

49. What father and son were Presidents ? 

50. What administrations have been most popular ? 

51. Who fired the first gun in the French and Indian war? 

52. What battle was fought and gained without a commanding officer? 

53. How many rebellions have occurred in our history ? 

54. Who was called the " Great Pacificator" ? Why? 

55. What was the "Nrllification Act"? 

56. ITow many of our Presidents have been military men? 

57. Why did not Webster and Clay become Presidents ? 

58. Who was " Rough and Ready" ? 

59. Who was the " Sage of Monticello" ? 

GO. What noted events occurred on April 19th i 

61. In whose administration was the largest number of States admitted 

to the Union ? 
63. In which administrations were none ? 
63. By whom and under what circumstances was the expression used, 

" Give me liberty or give me death " ? 



HISTORICAL RECREATIONS. XXI 

64. What general arose from a sick bed to lead his troops into a battle 

in which he was killed ? 

65. What five ex-Presidents died in the decade between 1860 and 1870 ? 

66. Where is the " Cradle of Liberty" ? 

67. What historical memories cluster around Santo Domingo ? 

68. How long did each of our five great wars last — (1) the French and 

Indian war; (2) the Revolutionary war; (3) the war of 1812; 
(4) the Mexican war ; and (5) the Civil war ? 
60. State the cause of each of these wars. 

70. Name the prominent generals who acquired celebrity in each. 

71. Name the principal battles of each. 

72. Name the results of each. 

73. What fort was carried by a midnight assault ? f i 

74. \Miat general escaped by riding down a steep precipice ? L-^ 

75. Who drafted the Declaration of Independence ? 

76. Who secured its adoption in the Convention ? 

77. Name the Presidents in chronological order. 

78. How many of our Presidents were Virginians ? 

79. Who was the " bachelor President " ? 

80. State to what party each President belonged. 

81. How many of our Presidents were poor boys? 

82. What were the principles of the wliigs ? The democrats ? 

83. What party adopted the views of the old federalists on the 

United States Bank, etc. ? 

84. How many Presidents have served two terms ? 

85. What battle was fought after peace was declared ? 

86. On what issue was Polk elected President ? 

87. Contrast John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. 

88. On what mountains have battles been fought ? 

89. Wlio used the expression, "W^e have met the enemy, and they 

are ours " ? 
00. "SMiose dying words were, " Don't give up the ship " ? 

91. When was a general blown up by a magazine, in the moment 

of victory ? 

92. Wliat Indian chiefs formed leagues against the whites? 

93. Wliat celebrated statesman was killed in a duel ? 

94. Wliat States were named from mountain ranges ? 

95. Wliat important contemporaneous events can you name ? 

96. Was Washington ever wounded in battle ? 

97. What was meant by saying that " Clay was in the succession " ? 

98. In what battle did Washington show the most brilliant generalship? 

99. \Miat officer lost his life because he neglected to open a note? 

100. Wliat anny retreated at the moment of victory because the fog 

was so dense that it did not see how successful it was ? 

101. How many States were named from their principal rivers? 



XXll UKITED STATES IIISTOK Y. 

102. Name some celebrated foreigners wlio have fouglit for us. 

103. What rendered Valley Forge memorable ? 

104. How did Harrison gain his popularity ? Taylor? 

105. Give some account of the United States Bank. 

106. In what war was Lincoln a captain and Davis a lieutenant ? 

107. What colonel, when asked if he could take a battery, replied, 

" I'll try, sir " ? 

108. Of what President was it said that " if his soul were turned insido 

out, not a spot could be found upon it " ? 

109. What town and army were surrendered without firing a shot ? 

110. For how many years was the Revolutionary War carried on 

mainly at the North ? At the South ? 

111. Who was " Poor Richard" ? 

112. Who were the " Green Mountain Boys " ? 

113. What colony was founded as a home for the poor? 

114. What persecuted people settled the different colonies ? 

115. What colonies are named after a king or a queen ? 

116. What religious toleration was granted in the different colonies? 

117. Which colonies early enjoyed the greatest liberty ? 

118. Which colony took the Bible as its guide? 

119. In what battle was the left wing, when separated from the main 

body by a river, attacked by an overwhelming force of the 
enemy? The right wing? 

120. In what battle did both generals mass their strength on the left 

wing, expecting to crush the enemy's right ? 

121. How many invasions of the North did Lee make ? 

122. What victories induced him to attempt each of these invasions ? 

123. By what battle was each invasion checked ? 

124. How many invasions of Kentucky did Bragg make ? 

125. How was each stopped ? 

126. For how many years have the United States been involved in war ? 

127. What object did Penn, Lord Baltimore, and Oglethorpe each have 

in founding a colony in the new world ? 

128. What President was impeached ? 

129. What ex-Vice-President was tried for treason ? 

130. Name the four prominent battles fought by General Taylor. 

131. What noted expressions of General Taylor became favorite 

mottoes ? Of General Grant ? 

132. What President vetoed the measures of the party which elected 

him to office ? 

133. Of what statesman was it said that " he was in the public service 

fifty years, and never attempted to deceive his countrymen " ? 

134. Who is said to have used the words, " A little more grape, Captain 

Bragg"? 



HISTORICAL EECREATIONS. XXIU 

135. From what States have Presidents been elected ? 

136. Give the number and names from each State. 

137. What battle did General Gates win ? What battle did he lose ? 

138. What battles did Washing-ton win ? What battles did he lose ? 

139. What President elect came to Washington in disguise ? 

140. Give a brief history of the slavery question. 

141. When were slaves introduced into this country? 

142. Name the generals who commanded the Army of the Potomac. 

143. Name the principal battles fought by McClellan — Rosecrans — 

Bragg — Lee — Hooker — Sheridan— Grant — Sherman — Beauregard 
— Meade — Pope — Buell — Taylor — Scott — Thomas — Johnston. 

144. Describe the " March to the Sea." 

145. What two battles were fought in the " Wilderness " ? 

146. What was the " Missouri Compromise " ? The " Compromise of 

1850 " ? 

147. What is " squatter sovereignty " ? Who was its author ? 

148. Of whom was it said that " he touched the dead corpse of public 

credit, and it sprang upon its feet " ? 

149. What were the " alien and sedition laws ? " 

150. Who was " the old man eloquent " ? 

151. When was the first railroad? The first steamboat? The first 

magnetic telegraph ? 

152. When was the Erie Canal opened ? The Pacific Railroad ? 

153. What President introduced "rotation in office " ? 

154. Why, in the Missouri Compromise, was 36^ 30' taken as the boun- 

dary between the slave and the free States ? 

155. What is the " Monroe Doctrine " ? 

156. Who was the inventor of the cotton-gin? 

157. What is a " protective tariff" ? 

158. What is meant by " Reconstruction " ? 

159. What Presidents were not elected to that office by the people ? 
130. To what party did Henry Clay belong ? J.Q.Adams? Thomas 

Jefferson ? John C. Calhoun ? Andrew Jackson ? Daniel Web- 
ster? Stephen A. Douglas? Alexander Hamilton? George 
Washington ? 

161. What President had not voted for forty years? 

162. What two distinguished generals of the same name served in the 

Confederate army ? Name the battles fought by each. 

163. What was the " Dred Scott decision " ? 

164. What was the " Kansas-Nebraska Bill"? 

165. Give an account of the principal parties which have arisen since 

the Constitutional Convention of 1787. 

166. Who were tlie " Silver Greys " ? The " Hunkers " ? The " Barn- 

burners " ? The " Woolly-Heads " ? The " Free-Soilers " ? The 
" Know-Nothings " ? The " Anti-Renters " ? The " Unionists " 1 



XXIV UNITED STATES HISTOKY. 

167. Give an account of the different attempts to lay tlie Atlantic cable. 

168. Give a liistory of the ditiiculty between President Johnson and 

Congress. 

169. What nations settled the different States ? 

170. How many amendments have been made to the Constitution ? 

171 . What was the " Hartford Convention " ? 

172. What are " State rights ? " 

173. What was the Secretary of State formerly called? 

174. Tell some stories illustrating the jjatriotism of the women of the 

Revolution. 

175. Who was " Poor Richard " ? 

176. What State was admitted to the Union first after the original 

thirteen ? 

177. Wlio are the " Mormons " ? 

178. For what is Ethan Allen noted ? 

179. What battles have been fought in Virginia? South Carolina? 

Louisiana ? New York ? Massachusetts ? New Jersey ? Mary- 
land ? Pennsylvania ? Georgia ? Michigan ? 

180. What was the " Fugitive Slave Law " ? 

181. Name some unsuccessful candidates for the Presidency. 

182. For what is John Brown noted ? 

183. Who were the " Fillibusters " ? 

184. Give an account of Farragut's most celebrated exploits, 

185. Why was " Stonewall " Jackson so called ? 

186. Give an account of Butler's military career. 

187. What was the most prominent event of Jefferson's administration 1 

Jackson's ? Monroe's ? 

188. What treaties are celebrated in our history ? 

189. What President was once a tailor's apprentice ? 

190. What was the object of the " American party " ? 

191. What was the " Gadsden purchase " ? 

192. Name the various difficulties which have arisen with England. 

193. What was the " Wilmot Proviso " ? 

194. What President followed Washington — Taylor — Jefferson — Lin- 

coln — J. Q. Adams — Pierce? 

195. Who was President in 1812—1832—1846—1850—1861 ? 

196. Describe the operations of the Confederate cruisers during the 

Civil War. Of the " blockade runners." 

197. What distinguished generals have been unsuccessful candidates 

for the Presidency ? 

198. Why did the French in Canada extend their explorations west- 

ward to the Mississippi rather than southward into New 
York? 

199. What was the " Trent affair " ? 

200. Name and describe some important naval engagements. 



p£CI.yVRATIO[^ Of |jMD£PEJ^Dj:jMCE. 



.^J'HE following preamble and specifications, known as the Declaration oi 
|t|U Independence, accompanied the resolution of Richard Henry Lee, which 
IP was adopted by Congress on the 2d day of July, 1776. This declaration 
J^-^fe?^ was agreed to on the 4th, and the transaction is thus recorded in the 
^pjt^y^ Journal for that day : 

^ ^<~N " Agreeably to the order of the day, the Congress resolved itself into 
a committee of the whole, to take into their further consideration the 
Declaration ; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. Harrison 
reported that the committee have agreed to a declaration, which they desired him to 
report. The Declaration being read, was agreed to as follows :" 

A DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AilERICA, 
IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED. 

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dis- 
solve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, 
among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of 
nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind 
requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident— that all men are created equal ; that they 
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ; that among these are 
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments 
are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the gov- 
erned ; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, 
it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, 
laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as 
to them shall seem most likely to etfect their safety and happiness. Prudence, in- 
deed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light 
and transient causes : and, accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are 
more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufierable, than to right themselves by abol- 
ishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses 
and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce 
them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such 
government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the 
patient sufierance of these colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains 
them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present king 
of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct 
object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, 
let facts be submitted to a candid world. 

1. He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the 
public good. 

2. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing im- 
portance, unless suspended in their operations till his assent should be obtained ; 
and, when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. 

3. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of 
people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the Legis- 
lature—a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. 



XXVL UNITED STATES HISTOEY. 

4. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and 
distant from the repository of tlieir public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing 
them into compliance with his measures. 

5. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with manly 
firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

6. He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause others to be 
elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to 
the people at large for their exercise • the State remaining, in the mean time, ex- 
posed to all the dangers of invasions from without, and convulsions within. 

7. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States , for that purpose 
obstructing the laws for the naturalization of foreigners ; refusing to pass others to 
encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations 
of lands. 

8. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws 
for establishing judiciary powers. 

9. He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, 
and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

10. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to 
harass our people and eat out their substance. 

11. He has kept among us in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent 
of our Legislatures. 

12. He has affected to render the military independent of, and superior to, the civil 
power. 

13. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our con- 
stitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws ; giving his assent to their acts of pre- 
tended legislation : 

14. For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us ; 

15. For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which 
they should commit on the inhabitants of these States ; 

16. For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ; 

17. For imposing taxes on us without our consent ; 

18. For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury; 

19. For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended oflences ; 

no. For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, es- 
tablishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to 
render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute 
rule into these colonies ; 

21. For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering, 
fundamentally, the forms of our governments ; 

22. For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with 
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever, 

23. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and 
waging war against us. 

24. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and de- 
stroyed the lives of our people. 

25. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete 
the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of 
cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally un- 
worthy the head of a civilized nation, 

26. He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear 
arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, 
or to fall themselves by their hands. 

27. He has excited domestic insurrection among us. and has endeavored to bring 
on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule 
of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPEi^DENCE. XXYIJ 



In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most 
humble terms ; our repeated petitions liave been answered only by repeated injury. 
A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may detine a tyrant, is 
unlit to be the ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in our attentions to our British brethren. We have 
warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an un- 
warrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of 
our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and 
magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to dis- 
avow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and cor- 
respondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. 
We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separation, and 
hold them as we hold the rest of mankind — enemies in war ; in peace, friends. 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in general 
Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the Avorld for the rectitude 
of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these 
colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these united colonies are, and of right 
ought to be, free and independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance 
to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the st^^te of 
Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved, and that, as free and independent 
States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish 
commerce, and do all other acts and things which independent States may of right 
do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection 
of Divine Pi-ovidence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and 
our sacred honor. 



Adams, John, 

Adams, Samuel, 

Bartlett, Josiah, 

Braxton, Carter, 

Carroll, Charles, of Carrollton, 

Chase, Samuel, 

Clark, Abraham, 

Cltmer, George, 

Ellery, William, 

Floyd, William, 

Franklin, Benjamin, 

Gerby, Eleridge, 

GwTNNET, Button, 

Hall, Lyman, 

Hancock, John, 

Harrison, Benjamin, 

Hart, John, 

Heyward, Thomas, Jr., 

Hewes, Joseph, 

Hooper, William, 

Hopkins, Stephen, 

HopKiNsoN, Francis, 

Huntington, Samuel, 

Jefferson, Thomas, 

Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 

Lee, Eichard Henry, 

Lewis. Francis, 

Livingston, Philip, 



Lynch, Thomas, Jr., 
M'Kean, Thomas, 
MiDDLETON, Arthur, 
Morris, Lewis, 
Morris, Robert, 
Morton, John, 
Nelson, Thomas, Jr., 
Paca, William, 
Paine, Robert Treat, 
Penn, John, 
Read, George, 
Rodney, C^sab, 
Ross, George, 
Rush, Benjamin, M. D., 
RuTLEDGE, Edward, 
Sherman, Roger, 
Smith, James, 
Stockton, Richard, 
Stone, Thomas, 
Taylor, George, 
Thornton, Matthew, 
Walton, George, 
Whipple, William, 
Williams, William, 
Wilson, James, 
WiTHERSPooN, John, 
WoLCOTT. Oliver, 
Wythe, George. 




jl!0NgTlTUT10JM Of THE ^JMITED ^T/.T£3c 



E, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, 
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common 
defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty 
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution 
for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE I. 

Sbctiox 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of 
the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. 

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen 
every second year by the people of the several States, and the electors in each State 
shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of 
the State Legislature. 

No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the age of 
twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall 
not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. 

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States 
which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, 
which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including 
those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three- 
fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years 
after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subse- 
quent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of 
representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each State shall 
have at least one representative : and until such enumeration shall be made, the 
State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three ; Massachusetts, eight ; 
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, one ; Connecticut, five ; New York, six ; 
New Jersey, four ; Pennsylvania, eight ; Delaware, one ; Maryland, six ; Virginia, 
ten ; North Carolina, five ; South Carolina, five ; and Georgia, three. 

When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, the executive au- 
thority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 

The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other oflacers ; and 
shall have the sole power of impeachment. 

Section 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators 
from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years ; and each senator 
shall have one vote. 

Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they 
shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the senators 
of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year ; of the second 



COKSTITUTIOiq" OF THE UI^ITED STATES. XXIX 

class, at the. expiration of the fourth year; and of the third class, at the exinration of 
the sixth year, so tliat one-third may be chosen every second year ; and if vacancies 
happen by resignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any 
State, the executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meet- 
ing of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. 

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, 
and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, 
be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. 

The Vice-President of the United States shall be president of the Senate, but shall 
have no vote, unless they be equally divided. 

Tiie Senate shall choose their otlier officers, and also a president pro tempore, in 
the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise the office of President 
of the United States. 

The Senate shall have the sole power to try aU impeachments : When sitting for 
that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United 
States is tried, the Chief-Justice shall preside : and no person shall be convicted 
without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. 

Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from 
office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under 
the United States ; but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to 
indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law. 

Section 4. The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and 
representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the 
Congress may at any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, except as to the 
places of choosing senators. 

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be 
on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Section 5. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifica- 
tions of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do 
business ; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be autho- 
rized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such 
penalties, as each house may provide. 

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for 
disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish 
the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require sccresy, and the 
yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the desire of 
one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. 

Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, w ithout the consent of the 
other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which 
the two houses shall be sitting. 

Section 6, The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation for their 
services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasuiy of the United States. 
They shall in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged 
from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in 
going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in either house, 
they shall not be questioned in any other place. 

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be 
appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall 
have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during 
Buch time ; and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a 
member of either house during his continuance in office. 



XXX UKITED STATES niSTOllY. 

Section 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representa 
tives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. 

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, 
shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States ; if 
he approve, he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that* 
house in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on 
their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. K after such reconsideration, two-thirds 
of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec- 
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved 
by two-thirds of that house^ it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes 
of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons 
voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respec- 
tively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sunday 
excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like 
manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its 
return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House 
of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be 
presented to the President of the United States ; and before the same shall take 
effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by 
two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and 
limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 

Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, im- 
posts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general 
welfare of the United States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform 
throughout the United States ; 

To borrow money on the credit of the United States ; 

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and. 
with the Indian tribes ; 

To establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of 
bankruptcies throughout the United States ; 

. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard 
of weights and measures ; 

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of 
the United States ; 

To establish post-offices and post-roads ; 

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, for limited times, 
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and dis- 
coveries ; 

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; 

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences 
against the law of nations ; 

To declare war, giant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning 
captures on land and water ; 

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be 
for a longer term than two years ; 

To proA-ide and maintain a navy ; 

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces ; 

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress 
insurrections and repel invasions ; 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing 
such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving 
to the States respectively the appointment of the officers, and the authority of train- 
ing the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress : 



COi^STITUTIOX OF THE UI^ITED STATES. XXXI 

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatBoever over such district (not ex« 
ceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular States, and the acceptance 
of Congret»s, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise 
like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the State 
in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, 
and other needful buildings ;— And 

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution 
the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the govern- 
ment of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof. 

Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the States now 
existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior 
to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed 
on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. 

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in 
cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. 

No bill of attainder or ex-post-facto law shall be passed. 

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census 
or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken. 

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State. 

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the 
ports of one State over those of another ; nor shaU vessels bound to, or from, one 
State, be obliged lo enter, clear, or pay duties in another. 

No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropriations 
made by law ; and a regular statement and account of the I'eceipts and expenditures 
of all public money shall be published from time to time. 

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : And no person holding 
any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, 
accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any 
king, prince, or foreign state. 

Section 10. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation ; grant 
letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but 
gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex-post- 
facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. 

No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any impost or duties on 
imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessaiy for executing its in- 
spection laws ; and the net produce of all duties and impost, laid by any State on 
imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States ; and all 
such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. 

No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep 
troops, or ships-of-war, in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with 
another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or 
in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 

Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States 
of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together 
with the Vice-President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows : 

Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a 
number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to 
which the State may be entitled in the Congress : but no senator or representative, 
or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be ap- 
pointed an elector. 



XXXll UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

[The electors chall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for twb per- 
sons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with them- 
selves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number 
of votes for each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the 
seat of the government of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate. 
The president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person 
having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a 
majority of the whole number of electors appointed ; and if there be more than one 
who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of 
Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President ; and 
if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said house 
shall, in like manner, choose the President. But in choosing the President, the 
votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote ; 
a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of 
the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. In every 
ease, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of 
votes of the electors shall be the Vice-President. Bu if there should remain two or 
more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice- 
President.] 

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on 
•which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the 
United States. 

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the 
time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the oflSce of President ; 
neither shall any person be eligible to that oflice who shall not have attained to 
the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years resident within the United 
States. 

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or 
inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devoh e 
on the Vice-President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, 
death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring 
what officer shall then act as President ; and such officer shall act accordingly until 
the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. 

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation which 
shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have 
been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from 
the United States, or any of them. 

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or 
affirmation :— " I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the 
office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, 
protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." 

Section 2. The President shall be commander-in-chief of the army and na\y of the 
United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual 
service of the United States ; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal 
officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties 
of their respective offices ; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons 
for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. 

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make 
treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators present concur ; and he shall nominate, 
and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint ambassadors, 
other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other 
officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided 
for, and v,hich shall be established bv law : but the Congress mav bv law vest the 



coKSTiTUTio:^ or the uis^ited states, xxxiii 

appointment of such inferior officers, as tliey tliinls proper, in the President alone, in 
the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the 
recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their 
next session. 

Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the 
state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall 
judge necessary and expedient ; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both 
houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them with i-espect to 
the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; 
he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the 
laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States. 

Section 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States, 
shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, 
or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III. 

Section 1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme 
Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and 
establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their 
offices during gocd behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a 
compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. 

Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising 
under this Constitution, the laws »f the United States, and treaties made, or which 
shall be made, under their authority ;— to all cases affecting ambassadors, other pub- 
lic ministers, and consuls ;— to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ;— to 
controversies to which the United States shall be a party ;— to controversies between 
two or more States ;— between a State and citizens of another State ;— between citi- 
zens of different States ; — between citizens of the same State claiming lands under 
grants of different States, and between a State, or the citizens thereof, and foreign 
• states, citizens or subjects. 

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those 
in which a State shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. 
In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate 
jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regula- 
tions as the Congress shall make. 

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury ; and such 
trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed ; but 
when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the 
Congress may by law have directed. 

Section 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war 
against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 

No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses 
to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. 

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no 
attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the 
life of the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, 
records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by 



XXxiv UNITED STATES HISTORY. 

general laws prescribe the manner in wMch such acts, records, and proceedings 
shall be proved, and the effect thereof. 

Section 2. The citizens of each State shall be entitled, to all privileges and immu- 
nities of citizens in the several States. 

A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee 
from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive au- 
thority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State 
having jurisdiction of the crime. 

No person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping 
into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged 
from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom 
such service or labor may be due. 

Section 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ; but no 
new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State ; 
nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, 
without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the 
Congi-ess. 

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regu- 
lations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States ; 
and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of 
the United States, or of any particular State. 

Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a repub- 
lican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion, and on 
application of the Legislature, or of the executive (when the Legislature cannot be 
convened) against domestic violence. 

ARTICLE V. 

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall 
propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the Legislatures 
of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, 
which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Con- 
stitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, or 
by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification 
may be proposed by the Congress ; provided that no amendment which may be made 
prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the 
first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no State, 
without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VI. 

All debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this 
Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as 
under the confederation. 

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pur- 
suance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority 
of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every 
State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to 
the contrary notwithstanding. 

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the seve- 
ral State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United 
States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



XXXV 



this Constitntion ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to 
any office or public trust under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The ratification of the conventions of nine States shall be sufficient for the estab- 
lishment ©f this Constitution between the States so ratifying the same. 

Done in convention, by the unanimous consent of the States present, the 
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the United 
States of America the twelfth. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 
Fred.dent, <md Deputy from Virginia. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

JOEQf LaNGDON, 

Nicholas Gelman. 

MASSACHUSETTS, 

NaTHAKHTL GrORHAM, 
EUFUS KXNG. 

CONNECTICUT. 
William Samuel Johnson, 
EoGER Sherman, 

NEW YORK. 
Alexander Hamilton, 

NEW JERSEY, 
William Livingston, 
Daved Breajilet, 
William Paterson, 
Jonathan Dayton. 

PENNSYLVANIA, 
Benjamin Franklin, 
Thomas Mifflin, 
Robert Morris, 
George Cltmer, 
Thomas Fitzsimons, 
Jared Ingersoll, 
James Wilson, 
Gouveeneue Morris, 



DELAWARK 
George Reed, 
Gunning Bedford, Jr., 
John Dickinson, 
Richard Bassett, 
Jacob Broom. 

MARYLAND. 
James M'Henry, 
Daniel of St, Thomas Jenifer, 
Daniel Carroll. 

^TRGINIA, 
John Blair, 
James Madison, Jr. 

NORTH CAROLINA, 
William Blount, 
Richard Dobbs Spaight, 
Hugh Williamson. 



SOUTH CAROLESrA- 
John Rutledge, 
Charles C. Pincknet, 
Charles Pinckney, 
Pierce Butler. 

GEORGIA, 
William Few, 
Abraham Baldwin. 



Attest: 



WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary 



XXXYl UKITED STATES HISTORY, 



^jVIEJNDjVlEJ^Tg 



TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, RATIFIED ACCORD- 
ING TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE FIFTH ARTICLE OF THE FORE- 
GOING CONSTITUTION. 



Article the First.— Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment 
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom ol 
speech, or of the press ; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to 
petition the government for redress of grievances. 

Article the Second. — A -well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security 
of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

Article the Third. — ^No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any 
house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be 
prescribed by law. 

Article the Fourth. — The right of the people to be secure in their persons, 
houses, papers, and efl'ects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be 
violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath 
or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons 
or things to be seized. 

Article the Fifth.— No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or other- 
wise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except 
in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service 
in time of war and public danger ; nor shall any person be subject for the same 
offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any 
criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor to be deprived of life, liberty, or 
property, without due process of law ; nor shall private property be taken for public 
use, without just compensation. 

Article the Sixth.— In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the 
right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district 
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been pre- 
viously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusa- 
tion ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsoiy process 
for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his 
defence. 

Article the Seventh.— In suits at common law, where the value in controversy 
shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact 
tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States than 
according to the rules of common law. 

Article the Eighth.- Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines 
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 



C05y^STITUTI0:N' OF THE UNITED STATES. XXXVii 

Article the Ninth.— The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, 
Bhall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

Article the Tenth.— The powers not delegated to the United States by the Con- 
stitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, 
or to the people. 

Article the Eleventh.— The judicial power of the United States shall not be 
construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against 
one of the United States by citizens of another State, or by citizens or subjects of 
any foreign state. 

Article the Twelfth.— The electors shall meet in their respective States, and 
vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be 
an inhabitant of the same State with themselves ; they shall name in their ballots 
the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as 
"Vice-President ; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as Presi- 
dent, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for 
each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the 
government of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate ;— the presi- 
dent of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted ;— the person having the 
greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a 
majority of the whole number of electors appointed ; and if no person have such 
majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on 
the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose 
immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes 
shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote ; a 
quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of 
the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if the 
House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice 
shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the 
Vice-President shall act aa President, as in the case of the death or other constitu- 
tional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes 
as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the 
whole number of electors appointed ; and if no person have a majority, then from the 
two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a 
quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of senators, 
and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person 
constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice- 
President of the United States. 

Article the TainTEESTK.— Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, 
except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, 
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legis- 
lation. 

Article the Fourteenth. — Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the 
United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United 
States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any 
law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United 
States ; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without 
due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protec- 
tion of the laws. 

Section 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several States according 
to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, 



XXXviii UNITED STATES HISTOHY. 

lln> 
excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the 
choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, representa- 
tives in Congress, the executive or judicial officers of a State, or the members of the 
Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being 
twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, 
except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representation 
therein shall te reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens 
shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such 
State. 

Section 3. No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of 
President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United 
States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of 
Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State Legisla- 
ture, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of 
the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, 
or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two- 
thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, 
including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in sup- 
pressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United 
States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of 
insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or 
emancipation of any slave ; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held 
illegal and void. 

Section 5. Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the 
provisions of this article. 

Article the Fifteenth.— /S'(?c?iow 1, The rights of citizens of the United States 
to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on 
account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legis- 
lation. 



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TABLE OF THE PRESIDENTS. 



XXXIX 




xl 



UNITED STATES HISTORY. 



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INDEX 



This Index refers io the notes at the bottom of the page as well as 
the text of the book. 



Acadia, 85. 
Adams, John, 154. 
Adams, J. Q., 174. 
Alabama, admission of, 203. 
'' secession of, 198. 
Alabama and Kearsarge, 268. 
Alaska, purchase of, &6. 
Alexandria, seizure of, 217. 
Algiers, 153, 171. 
Alien and sedition laws, 154. 
Allen, Ethan, 110. 
Andre, execution of, 136. 
Andros, Governor, 59, 63, 67. 
Antietam, battle of, 242. 
Antiquities, 9. 
Anti-rent difficulties, 182. 
Arkansas, admission of, 204. 
" secession of, 217. 

Arlington Heights, seizure of, 217. 
Arnold, Benedict, 110, 111, 112, 122, 124, 

135-137, 139, 140. 
Ashby, General, 237. 
Atlanta, advance on, 256, 257. 
Atlantic cable, 285. 
Averysboro, battle of, 272. 
Ayllon, De, 27. 

"Baron's ii€hetlion,^% 

Balboa, 27. 

Ball's Bluff, battle of, 220. 

Baltimore, Lord, 72. 

Baltimore, Massachusetts troops at, 217. 

Bank of United States, 152, 176, 181. 

Beaufort, capture of, %^%. 

Belmont, battle of, 221. 

Bennington, battle of, 123. 

Bentonville, battle of, 272. 

Bermuda Hundred. General Butler at. 262. 

Big Bethel, battle of, 218. 

Big HI ick River, 245. 

Black Hawk war. 177. 

Bloc'iade, effects of, 267. 

Booneville, battle of, 221. 

Boston massacre, 104. 



Boston Port Bill, 105. 
Boston, evacuation of, 112. 
Boundary, N. E.,180. 

N. W., ia3. 
Braddock, General, 84. 
Brandywine, battle of, 119. 
Buchanan, James, 196. 
Buell, General, 228. 
Buena Vista, battle of, 186. 
Bull Run, battles of, 219, 241. 
Bunker Hill, battle of, 108. 
Burgoyne, surrender of, 125. 
Burnside's expedition, 232. 
Burr, Aaron, 156. 
Bragg's expedition, 228. 
Brown, John, 197. 

Cabot, John, 25. 

Cabot, Sebastian, 25. 

Cabrillo, 29. 

Calhounj John C, 173, 176, 184. 

California, admission of, 206-208. 

" gold discovered in, 190. 
Camden, battle of, 1.33. 
Carnifex Ferry, battle of, 218. 
Carolinas, the, 74. 
Carolina, secession of South, 198. 
" secession of North, 217. 
Caroline, burning of the, 179. 
Carrick's Ford, battle of, 218. 
Carthage, battle of, 221. 
Cartier, 30. 
Cedar Mountain, 240. 
Cerro Gordo, battle of, 188. 
Chambersburg, burning of, 264. 
Champion Hills, 245. 
Champlain. .32. 

Chancellorsville, battle of, 250. 
Chantilly, battle of, 241. 
Chapultepec, capture of, 189. 
Charleston, attack on, 129, 254. 

" surrender of, 133. 

" capture of, 272. 

Chattanooga, battle of, 247. 



INDEX 



xliii 



Cheat Monntain, ZxS. 

Chesapeake and Leopard, i58. 

Cliesapeake and Shauuon, 105. 

Chickaiuauj'a, battle of, 247. 

Chippewa, battle of, 1()8. 

Chrysler's Field, battle of, 163. 

Clay, Henry, 178, 176, 184, 192. 

Clayborne'e rebellion, 73. 

Clinton, General, 115, 135. 

Cold Harbor, battle of, 261. 

Coligny. 31. 

Columbia, S. C, capture of, 272. 

Columbia River, diBCOvery of, 208. 

Columbus, 20. 

Commissions, Christian and Sanitary, 269. 

Compromise, Missouri, 172. 

of 1850, 193. 
Confederacy at Montgomery, Southem,199. 
Confederate Capital at Richmond, 217. 
Congress, First Continental, 106. 
Connecticut, 61. 

Constitution, adoption of Federal, 143. 
Constitution and Guerriere, 161. 
Continental money. 134. 
Contreras, battle of, 189. 
Convention, Hartford, 169. 
Conway cabal, 126. 
Corinth, battle of, 228. 
CornwalliP, 116, 119, 133, 138, 140. 
Court-House, battle of Guilford, 138. 

" battle of Hanover, 238. 

Cowpens, battle of the, 137. 
Crisis of '37, 178. 
Cross Keys, 237. 
Crown Point, attack on, 86. 

" taken, 111. 

Cuba, invasion of, 193. 
Cumberland, 233. 

7)nf?e^s Massafre,Vn. 

Danburv, burning of, 120. 

Darling; Fort, 235. 

Davis, Jeff., 177, 275. 

De Ayllon, 27. 

De Leon, Ponce, 26. 

De Monts, .32. 

De Narvaez, 27. 

De Soto, 27. 

Decatur, Lieutenant, 157. 

Deerfield, burning of, 79. 

Delaware, 69. 

Detroit, surrender of, 160. 

Donaldson's Point, 227. 

Donelson, Fort, 224. 

Dorr rebellion, the, 181. 

Douglas, Stephen A., 197. 

Draft riot in New York City, 252. 

Drake, Sir Francis, 35. 

Dranesville, skirmish at, 221. 

Dred Scott decision, 196. 

Du Quesne, Fort, 84 85. 

Dustin, capture of Mrs., 77. 

J^arlv's 'Raid, General, 263. 

Edward, Fort, massacre, 86. 
Ellsworth, Colonel, 217. 
Enibaroro on American ships, 158. 
Emancipation Proclamation, 242. 
England, 142, 152, 157, 159, 169, 180. 



Espejo, 29. 

Eutaw Springs, battle of, 139. 

Explorations, DutcU, 39. 

'^ English, 34. 

" French, 30. 

" on the Pacific, 29. 

" Spanish, 26. 

Fair Oaks, battle of, 238. 
Farragut, 231, 232, 266. 
Federalists, the, 143. 
Fenians, the, 28(5. 
Fillmore, Millard, 191. 
Fisher, capture of Fort, 267. 
Five Forks, battle of, 273. 
Florida, admission of, 205. 

" discovery of, 27. 

" purchase of, 173. 

" secession of, 198. 
Fortress Monroe, 218. 
France, 126. 153, 155, 157, 178. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 126. 
Eraser, General, 124. 
Frazier's Farm, encounter at, 239. 
Fredericksburg, battle of, 242. 
Fremont, J. C, 188, 196. 
Frenchtown, Indian atrocities at, 164. 
Frobisher, 34. 
Frolic and Wasp, 162. 
Fugitive Slave Law, 193, 197. 
Fulton, Robert, 157. 

Gadsden Purchase , 195. 

Gage, the Boston boys and General, 113. 

Gaines's Mill, battle of, 239. 

Galveston, capture of, 251. 

Gates, General, 122, 133. 

Genet, difficulties with, 153. 

Georgia, 76. 

'' secession of, 198. 
Germantown, battle of, 120. 
Gettysburg, battle of, 252. 
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 36. 
Goffc, the regicide, 58. 
Gosnold, 27. 
Grand model, the, 75. 
Grant, Ulysses S., 221, 224, 225, 347,-265, 

260, 287. 
Greene, General, 117, 137, 138. 
Guilford Court-House, battle of, 138. 

Jfa?e, CapiatH A^athan, 115. 
Hamilton's plans, 151, 152. 
Hamilton, death of, 156. 
Hampton, 218. 

Hanging Rock, battle of, 134. 
Hanover Court-House, battle of, 238. 
Harper's Ferry, 217, 241. 
Harrison. William Henry, 165, 180. 
Hatteras Inlet, S22. 
Hayne, Colonel, Isaac, 134. 
Hayue, Robert Y,, 176. 
Henry, Fort, 2^4. 
Henry, Patrick, 102, 106. 
Hessians, the, 115. 117. 
Hornet and Peacock, 166. 
Horseshoe Bend, battle of, 166. 
Howe, General, 114, 115. 
Huguenots, the, 75. 



xliv 



INDEX. 



Hull, Captain Isaac, 161. 
Hull, General William, 160. 
Hutchinson, Mrs. Anue, 57. 

Illlnoif, admission of, 203. 
Independence, Declaration of, 114. 
Indiana, admission of, 202. 
Indiana, 11. 

Inter-colonial wars, 77. 
Iowa, admission of, 206. 
Islan 1 No. 10, 227. 
luka, battle of, 228. 

JarA.ton, Andreip, 166, 170, 174, 175. 

Jackson, '' Stonewall," 219, 237. 

Jamestown, 3S, 46, 52. 

Japan, treaty with, 195. 

Jasper, Sergeant, 113, 129. 

Jay. Ciiief Justice, 153. 

Jefferson, Thomas, 155. 

Jesuits, the missionary, 33. 

Johnson, Andrew, 281. 

Johnston, General Albert Sydney, 225, 226. 

Johnston, General Joseph E., 220, 236, 237, 

238, 256. 
Jones, victory of Paul, 132. 

Kansna, admission of, 209. 
Kansas difficulties, 195. 
Kansas-Nebraska bill, 194. 
Kearney, General, 241. 
Kentucky, admission of, 200. 
Kidd, William, 68. 
Kilpatrick, General, 251. 
King's Mountain, battle of, 134. 
KnoV-Nothing party, 196. 
Knoxville, siege of, 250. 
Kosciusko, 122. 

Lrtfdvene, General, 119, 139, 173. 
Lake George, battle of, 86. 
Lake Champlain, battle of, 168. 
La Salle, 34. 
Laudonniere, 31. 
Lee, General Charlas, 116, 127. 
Lee. General Robert E., 218, 238, 260. 
Lee's army, capture of, 2T4. 
Leisler, ex 'Cution of, 67. 
Lexington, Mass., battle of, 106. 
Lexington, Mo., battle of, 2)il. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 17T, 197, 215. 

" assassination of, 275. 
Long Island, battle of, 114. 
Lookout Mountain, battle of, 248. 
Louisburg, 80, 85. 
Louisiana, admission of, 201. 

" purchase of, 156. 

" 8ece;sion of, 198. 

Lundy's Lane, battle of, 167. 

JfanA-innw, surrender of, 160. 
Madison, James, 159. 
Ma'.?ruder, General, 235. 
Maine, 60. 204. 
Malvern Hill, battle of, 239. 
Manassas, battle of, 235. 
Marion, General, 134, 138. 
Marquette, Father, 3^3. 



Maryland, 72. 

'' invasion of, 241. 

Massachusetts, 53. 
McAllister, capture of Fort, 259. 
McClellan, General George B., 218, 235, 

269. 
McCrea, murder of Miss, 121. 
McHenry, bombardment of Fort, 1G9, 
Maximilian, 284. 
Mechauicsville, battle of, 239. 
Meigs, seige of Fort, 164. 
Melendez, 29. 

Memphis, surrender of, 227. 
Merrimac and Monitor, 233. 
Mexico, boundary of, 195. 

" surrender of, 189. 

" treaty with, 190. 

" war with, 185. 
Michigan, admission of, 204. 
Mill Spring, battle of, 224. 
Mims, massacre of Fort, 166. 
Minnesota, admission of, 208. 
Mississippi River, discovery of, 28. 
Mississippi, admission of, 202. 
" secession of, 198. 

Missouri Compromise, 172. 

"■ admission of, 204. 
Monmouth, battle of, 127. 
Monocacy, battle of, 263. 
Monroe, James, 172. 
Monroe doctrine, 173. 
Monroe, Fortress of, 218. 
Montcalm, General, 87, 89. 
Monterey, capture of, 186. 
Montreal, surrender of, 89. 
Mormons, the, 182. 
Morris, Robert, 135, 139. 
Motte, Mrs.. 138. 
Moultrie, Fort, 113, 200. 
Mound builders, 12. 
Murfreesboro, battle of, 229. 
Mutiny Act, 103. 

J^''asfiville, battle of, 258. 
Navigation Act, 51, 59. 
Nelson, Governor, 140. 
Nevada, admission of, 277. 
Newbern, capture of, 232. 
New Hampshire, 60. 
New York, 65. 

City, tire at, 179. 
New Jersey, 68. 
New Orleans, battle of, 169. 

" capture of, 2:30. 

Niagara, capture of Fort, 87. 
Norfolk Navy Yard, 217, 2;35. 
Northmen, 13. 
Nullification, 175. 

Off/efhorpe, 76, 80. 
Ohio, admission of, 201. 
Okechobee, battle of, 178. 
Omnibus Bill, 193. 
Ord, General E. O. C, 221. 
Oregon, admission of, 208. 
Osceola, 177. 

'PnciftC) discovery of the, 35. 
" railroads, 287. 



INDEX. 



xlv 



Palto Alto, battle of, 185. 
Patriot War, the, 179. 
Pea Ridge, battle of, 230. 
Penii, V\ illiam, ()9-T2. 
Penupylvaiiia, (59. 
Pequod War, 02. 
Perry'ri victory, 164. 
Perryville, battle of, 228. 
Petersburg, attack on, 262. 
"• capture of, 273. 

Philadelphia, 70. 

Philadelphia destroyed. Frigate, 157. 
Philippi, battle of, 218. 
Pickeus, Fort, 223. 
Pierce, Franklin, 194 
Pike, General, 103. 
Pilgrims, lauding of the, 53. 
Pillow, capture of Fort, 265. 
Pinckney, William, 155. 
Pitcher, Major Molly, 128. 
Plattriburg and Lake Champlain, battle of, 

16S. 
Pleasant Hill, battle of, 265. 
Pocahontas, 48, 49. 
Polk, James K., 185. 
Pope, campaign against, 240. 
Port Gibson, battle of, 245. 
Port Hudson, surrender of, 246. 
Port Republic, 237. 
Port Royal, 222, 223. 
Powhatan, 48. 

Prescott, capture of General, 121. 
President and Little Belt, 159. 
Price. General, 228. 
Princeton, battle of, 118. 
Privateers, Confederate, 222. 
Public lands, 194. 
Pulaski, Count, 129. 

reduction of Fort, 233. 
Puritans, the, 53. 
Putnam, Israel, 108, 130. 

Qitnkei'ft, ffie, 57, 69. 
Quebec, attack on, 87. 

^^ surrender of, 89. 

" battle of, 112. 
Queenstown, battle of, 160. 

^nle/f//f, .Sir W alter ^ 36. 

Hall, death of, 117. 

Randolph, John, 153. 

Reconstruction, 282. 

Red River expedition, 265. 

Republican party, 153. 

Resaca, Ga., battle of, 257. 

Resaca de La Palma, battle of, 185. 

Rhode Island, 64. 

Ribaut, 31. 

Richmond, siege of, 262. 

capture of, 273. 
Rich Mountain, battle of, 218. 
Roanoke Island, 36, 232. 
Rolfe, John, 49. 
Rosecrans, General, 228. 

Sn?>ine Cross noads, battle of, 265. 
Sackett's Harbor, attack on, 163. 
San Francisco, 207. 
Sauto Domingo, 289. 



Saratoga, battles of, 123. 

Savage's Station, 2:39. 

Savannah, 129, 233. 

Schenectady, attack on. 77, 

Scott, General Winficld, 167, 188, 220. 

Secession of Southern Slates, 198. 

Semiuoles, war with, 177. 

Seven Days' Battles, 239. 

Serapis and Bon Homme Richard, 132. 

Seward, attack on William H., 276. 

Shaw, colored troops of Colonel, 254. 

Shays's rebellion, 143. 

Shenandoah, Jackson in the, 237. 

Sheridan's campaign, 264. 

Sherman's march to the sea. 259. 

Sherman's march through the Carolinas, 

Shiloh, battle of, 225. 
Sioux, war with the, 244. 
Slemmer, Lieutenant, 223. 
Smith, John, 46. 
Smith, Kirby, 219, 228. 
Smith, Joseph, 183. 
South Mountain, 241. 
Spain, 153, 173. 
Spotlsylvania.battle of, 200. 
Squatter sovereignty, 194, 197. 
Stamp Act, 102, 103. 
Stanton, Edwin M., 284, 
Stanwix, Fort, 122. 
Star of the West, 200. 
Starving Time, 48. 
Steadman, attack on Fort, 272. 
Steele, Mrs., 138. 
Stephenson, battle of Fort, 164. 
Stony Point, capture of, 130. 
Stuart's raid. General, 238. 
Stuyvesant, Peter, 66. 
Sub-Treasury bill, 179. 
Sullivan, General, 119, l.'JO. 
Summary of First Epoch, 41. 

" Second Epoch, 96. 

Third Epoch, 144. 

" Fourth Epoch, 210. 

" Fifth Epoch, 277. 

Sumner, Charles, 195. 
Sumpter, General, 134, 138. 
Sumter, Fort, 199, 216, 254. 

Tayfor, Znr/iarv, 186, 187, 191. 
Tennessee, admission of, 201. 

"^ secession of, 217. 

Texas, annexation of, 183. 

" admission of, 205. 

" secession of, 198. 
Thames, battle of the, 165. 
Ticonderoga, attack on, 86. 

'" capture of, 110. 

Tippecanoe, battle of, 159. 
Trent afiair, 222. 
Trenton, battle of, 116. 
Tripoli, 157. 
Tyler, John, 181. 

y"a?frv F'o)'oe, winter in, 125. 
Van Bur en, Martin, 178. 
Van Dorn, General, 228. 
Vera Cruz, capture of, 188. 
Vermont, admission of, 200. 



xlvi 



IKDEX. 



Verrazani, 30. 
YessputJus, Americus, 21. 
Vicksburg, 230, 245, 
Virginia, 4t5, 21 T. 
Virginia, West, 218. 

Warmer, capture of Fort, 254. 

War, Black Hawk, 177. 

" Civil, 215. 

" French and Indian, 81. 

" in Georgia^ 246, 25tt. 

" in Missouri, 221, 230. 

" in Tennessee, 246, 250, 257. 

" in Virginia, 217, 260. 

" in the East, 235, 250-254. 

" in the West, ^4, 244-246. 

" King George's, 80. 

" King Philip's. 57. 

" King William's, 77. 

" of 1812, 160. 

" on sea and coast, 222, 230, ^4, 266. 

" Pontiac's, 90. 

" Queen Anne's, 79. 

" Revolutionary, 101. 

" the Pequod, 62. 

" with the Creeks, 166- 

" with Mexico, 185. 

•' with Seminoles, 177. 
Wars, Intercolonial, 77. 



Warren, General, 110. 

Washington, George, 81-85, 111, 112, 115- 

118, 126, 128, 139, 142, 147, 148. 
Washington by British, capture of, 169. 
Washington taken, Fort, 116. 
Waxhaw Creek, battle of, 133. 
Wayne, General, 119, 152, 
Webster, Daniel, 184, 192. 
Weldon Railroad, attack on, 263. 
Whisky insurrection, 152. 
White Plains, battle of, 116. 
Whitney, Eli, 172. 
Wilderness, battle of the, 260. 
Williams, Roger, 57, 62, 64. 
Williamsburg, battle of, 236. 
Wilmot Proviso, 190. 
Wilson's Creek, battle of, 221 
Winchester, battle of, 264. 
Winthrop, John, 62. 

Major, 218, 
Wisconsin, admission of, 206. 
Witchcraft, Salem, 60, 
Wolfe, General, 87-89. 
Wyoming, massacre of, 128, 

York, capture of, 163. 
Yorktown, siege of, ^, 

ZolUcoffer, General f 2d4. 



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